Paper · 2026 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus

Jing Wang; Nian-Kai Zeng; Xueyan Zhang

8
claims
16
verbatim quotes
0
citations
4
research areas
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Open access · cc-by

Abstract

To elucidate the potential of integrated multi-omics approaches for studying systemic mechanisms of mycorrhizal fungi in mediating plant-microbe interactions, this study employed the Tuber-inoculated Corylus system as a model to demonstrate how high-throughput profiling can investigate how fungal inoculation reshapes the rhizosphere microbial community and correlates with host metabolism. A pot experiment was conducted comparing inoculated (CTG) and non-inoculated (CK) plants, followed by integrated multi-omics analysis involving high-throughput sequencing (16S/ITS), functional prediction (PICRUSt2/FUNGuild), and metabolomics (UPLC-MS/MS). The results demonstrated that inoculation significantly restructured the fungal community, establishing Tuber as a dominant symbiotic guild and effectively suppressing pathogenic fungi. Although bacterial alpha diversity remained stable, the functional profile shifted markedly toward symbiotic support, including antibiotic biosynthesis and environmental adaptation. Concurrently, root metabolic reprogramming occurred, characterized by upregulation of strigolactones and downregulation of gibberellin A5, suggesting a potential “symbiosis-priority” strategy wherein carbon allocation shifted from structural growth to energy storage, and plant defense transitioned from broad-spectrum resistance to targeted regulation. Multi-omics correlation analysis further revealed notable associations between microbial communities and root metabolites, proposing a model in which Tuber acts as a core regulator that collaborates with the host to assemble a complementary micro-ecosystem. In summary, the integrated approach successfully captured multi-level changes, suggesting that Tuber-Corylus symbiosis constitutes a fungus-driven process that transforms the rhizosphere from a competitive state into a mutualistic state, thereby illustrating the role of mycorrhizal fungi as “ecosystem engineers” and providing a methodological framework for green agriculture research.

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Claims 8

Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultsignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Tuber inoculation significantly restructured the fungal community and established Tuber as dominant symbiotic guild.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Treatment
inoculatione0
Interactor
TuberTubere0symbiont
Outcome
fungal communitye0
Direction
restructurede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Tuber
Tuber · Interactor · picture of the genus (one of its species)No machine-readable author provided. Poppy assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“inoculation significantly restructured the fungal community, establishing Tuber as a dominant symbiotic guild”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 678–787 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Tuber inoculation suppressed pathogenic fungi.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Treatment
inoculatione0
Interactor
pathogenic fungie0pathogen
Second interactor
TuberTubere0symbiont
Outcome
pathogenic fungie0
Direction
suppressinge0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Tuber
Tuber · Second interactor · picture of the genus (one of its species)No machine-readable author provided. Poppy assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“inoculation significantly restructured the fungal community, establishing Tuber as a dominant symbiotic guild and effectively suppressing pathogenic fungi”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 678–832 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultno effectmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Bacterial alpha diversity remained stable after inoculation.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Treatment
Tuber Inoculationt0
Interactor
TuberTubert0symbiont
Outcome
bacterial alpha diversitye0
Direction
remained stablee0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Tuber
Tuber · Interactor · picture of the genus (one of its species)No machine-readable author provided. Poppy assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“Although bacterial alpha diversity remained stable”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 834–884 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Bacterial functional profiles shifted toward symbiotic support, antibiotic biosynthesis and environmental adaptation.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Treatment
Tuber Inoculationt0
Interactor
TuberTubert0symbiont
Outcome
functional profilee0
Direction
shiftede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Tuber
Tuber · Interactor · picture of the genus (one of its species)No machine-readable author provided. Poppy assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“the functional profile shifted markedly toward symbiotic support, including antibiotic biosynthesis and environmental adaptation”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 886–1014 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Root strigolactones were upregulated after inoculation.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Organ / stage
roote0
Treatment
Tuber Inoculationt0
Interactor
TuberTubert0symbiont
Outcome
strigolactonese0
Direction
upregulatione0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Tuber
Tuber · Interactor · picture of the genus (one of its species)No machine-readable author provided. Poppy assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“root metabolic reprogramming occurred, characterized by upregulation of strigolactones”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1030–1116 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Root gibberellin A5 was downregulated after inoculation.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Treatment
Tuber Inoculationt0
Interactor
TuberTubert0symbiont
Outcome
gibberellin A5e0
Direction
downregulatione0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Tuber
Tuber · Interactor · picture of the genus (one of its species)No machine-readable author provided. Poppy assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“downregulation of gibberellin A5”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1121–1153 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Associationobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Microbial communities were associated with root metabolites.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Interactor
microbial communitiese0other
Outcome
root metabolitese0

Not reportedDirection

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“notable associations between microbial communities and root metabolites”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1420–1491 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑
Method / resourceobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated multi-omics captured multi-level changes in the Tuber-Corylus system.

Taxon
CorylusCorylust0
Outcome
multi-level changese0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Corylus
Corylus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“the integrated approach successfully captured multi-level changes”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1640–1705 · show in text ↑
t0

“Tuber Inoculation Drives Rhizosphere Microbiome Assembly and Metabolic Reprogramming in Corylus”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 0–95 · show in text ↑