ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Physiology and Metabolism
Metabolic Reprogramming in PGPR Reveals Cross-Feeding-Driven Physiological Shifts and Metabolic Adaptations
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Microbial interactions in the rhizosphere are fundamental to soil health, plant growth, and ecosystem stability. Among these interactions, metabolic cross-feeding, the exchange of metabolites between microorganisms, plays a critical role in shaping microbial community structure and function. This study investigates the metabolic interplay between two PGPR (Priestia megaterium and Bacillus licheniformis), focusing on how metabolite exchange influences bacterial growth and metabolic reprogramming. Using an integrative metabolomics approach, which combines ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), molecular networking, and multivariate data analysis, we identified significant metabolic shifts triggered by cross-feeding interactions. Metabolites from B. licheniformis exhibited an inhibitory effect on P. megaterium, while metabolites from P. megaterium promoted B. licheniformis growth. Multivariate data analysis revealed significant metabolic shifts, including variations in the production of amino acids, fatty acids, and cyclic lipopeptides across different growth phases. Functional pathway analysis indicated that the phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis (PTTB) pathway played a critical role in regulating these metabolic interactions. These findings offer systems-level insights into the competitive and cooperative mechanisms that govern microbial cross-feeding. The observed metabolic reprogramming highlights the adaptive strategies employed by PGPR to thrive in nutrient-limited environments, which have implications for sustainable agriculture and microbial consortia engineering. Understanding the metabolic determinants of bacterial interactions can aid in optimising biofertilizer formulations and microbial inoculants, ultimately improving soil fertility and plant health amidst threats to crop productivity due to climate variability, in line with SDG 9 (Innovation), SDG 12 (Responsible Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Further studies should investigate the genetic and environmental factors that influence these metabolic exchanges, with the goal of developing tailored microbial formulations for agricultural and biotechnological applications.
Keywords: Priestia megaterium, Bacillus licheniformis, cross-feeding, Plant Growth-PromotingRhizobacteria, Metabolomics, sdgs
Received: 17 Jul 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mmotla, Allie, Mafuna, Mashabela and Mhlongo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Manamele D Mashabela, manamelem@uj.ac.za
Msizi Innocent Mhlongo, mmhlongo@uj.ac.za
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