Bacterial network for precise plant stress detection and enhanced crop resilience.

Abstract

Understanding plant hormonal responses to stress and their transport dynamics remains challenging, limiting advancements in enhancing plant resilience. Our study presents a novel approach that utilizes genetically engineered bacteria (GEB) as molecular transceivers within plants, aiming to develop revolutionary agricultural biosensors. We focus on abscisic acid (ABA), a key hormone for plant growth and stress response. We propose using Escherichia coli (E. coli) engineered with PYR1-derived receptors that exhibit high affinity for ABA, triggering a bioluminescent response. Simulations investigate the detection time for ABA, bacterial diffusion within plant roots, advection effects through shoots, and chemotaxis in response to attractant gradients in leaves. Results indicate that higher ABA concentrations correlate with shorter response times, with an average of 431.52 s based on bioluminescence. The average internalization time for bacteria through a plant root area of 2 µm 2 during the rhizophagy process is estimated at 1220.12 s. Simulations also assess bacterial movement through shoots, the impact of advection, and chemotactic responses. These findings highlight the complex interplay between plant signaling and microbial communities, validating the efficacy of our bacterial-based sensor approach and opening new avenues for agricultural biosensor technology.

Code and data availability

The paper's MATLAB simulation code for the bacterial ABA biosensor is publicly available on the authors' GitHub repository, as stated in the data availability statement.