Microbiome-on-a-Chip: New Frontiers in Plant-Microbiota Research

Claire E Stanley; Marcel G A van der Heijden

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2017.05.001

Microbiome-on-a-Chip: New Frontiers in Plant-Microbiota Research

Trends Microbiol. 2017 Aug;25(8):610-613. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.05.001. Epub 2017 May 24.

Authors

Claire E Stanley¹, Marcel G A van der Heijden²

Affiliations

¹ Plant-Soil Interactions, Agroecology and Environment Research Division, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Plant-Soil Interactions, Agroecology and Environment Research Division, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Plant-Microbe Interactions, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

PMID: 28550943
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.05.001

Abstract

An enigmatic concoction of interactions between microbes and hosts takes place below ground, yet the function(s) of the individual components in this complex playground are far from understood. This Forum article highlights how microfluidic - or 'Microbiome-on-a-Chip' - technology could help to shed light on such relationships, opening new frontiers in plant-microbiota research.

Keywords: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; host–microbe interactions; microbial ecology; microfluidic technology; nutrient cycling; plant microbiome.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Ecosystem
Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
Microbiota*
Plants / microbiology*
Research
Soil Microbiology*
Symbiosis