# Bacteria from the skin of amphibians promote growth of Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum by modifying hormone-related transcriptome response

## TL;DR

Bacteria from amphibian skin can boost plant growth by altering plant hormone responses, potentially helping agriculture.

## Contribution

This study identifies amphibian skin bacteria that act as plant growth promoters through hormone-related transcriptome changes.

## Key findings

- Three bacterial strains from tropical frogs modified root structures in Arabidopsis thaliana.
- Application of these bacteria increased growth in Solanum lycopersicum plants.
- Transcriptomic analysis showed bacterial presence triggered hormone biosynthesis responses in plants.

## Abstract

Plants and microorganisms establish beneficial associations that can improve their development and growth. Recently, it has been demonstrated that bacteria isolated from the skin of amphibians can contribute to plant growth and defense. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effect for the host are still unclear. In this work, we explored whether bacteria isolated from three tropical frogs species can contribute to plant growth. After a wide screening, we identified three bacterial strains with high biostimulant potential, capable of modifying the root structure of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. In addition, applying individual bacterial cultures to Solanum lycopersicum plants induced an increase in their growth. To understand the effect that these microorganisms have over the host plant, we analysed the transcriptomic profile of A. thaliana during the interaction with the C32I bacterium, demonstrating that the presence of the bacteria elicits a transcriptional response associated to plant hormone biosynthesis. Our results show that amphibian skin bacteria can function as biostimulants to improve agricultural crops growth and development by modifying the plant transcriptomic responses.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11103-024-01444-x.