The endophyte Moesziomyces antarcticus RS1 improves drought stress tolerance and yield traits in rice
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 Republic of Korea
- 2Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 Republic of Korea
- 3Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 Republic of Korea
- 4Plant Immunity Research Center, Center for Plant Microbiome Research, Plant Health Center, and Center for Fungal Genetic Resources, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 Republic of Korea
Abstract
Background: Ongoing climate change drives drought events that threaten crop yields worldwide. Traditionally, the focus has been on plant breeding to mitigate losses due to stress; however, this approach fails to leverage the resources available within the holobiont. Microbial treatments have been shown to confer drought tolerance by altering phytohormone levels, enhancing nutrient acquisition, and improving water retention in their plant hosts. However, the role of core seed-associated endophytic fungi in stress resilience remains underexplored.
Results: Using Moesziomyces antarcticus RS1, which was previously identified as a core fungus in wild and domesticated rice seed microbiomes, we revealed the functional roles of a core microbe in the host plant’s physiology. M. antarcticus RS1 displayed nutrient- and osmotic stress-responsive dimorphism, consistent with adaptive persistence in the seed endosphere. M. antarcticus RS1 inoculation on rice seed significantly improved yield traits by increasing grain quantity and biomass. Notably, M. antarcticus RS1 seed-inoculated rice performed better under PEG-induced osmotic stress, which was associated with increased osmoprotectant levels and growth benefits observed under PEG-treated and untreated conditions. Treatment of M. antarcticus RS1 was associated with increases in drought-related class 2 and class 3 Late Embryogenesis Abundant gene expression in rice, including a suite of RAB dehydrins.
Conclusions: These findings establish M. antarcticus RS1 as a core seed endophyte that improves rice drought tolerance and productivity, positioning it as a novel bioinoculant for sustainable agriculture, particularly in water-limited environments.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-026-00948-x.
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BibTeX
@article{harris2026endophyte,
title = {{The endophyte Moesziomyces antarcticus RS1 improves drought stress tolerance and yield traits in rice}},
author = {William Harris and You-Jin Lim and Hyun Kim and Gobong Choi and Yong-Hwan Lee},
journal = {Environmental Microbiome},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s40793-026-00948-x},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-026-00948-x},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The endophyte Moesziomyces antarcticus RS1 improves drought stress tolerance and yield traits in rice
AU - William Harris
AU - You-Jin Lim
AU - Hyun Kim
AU - Gobong Choi
AU - Yong-Hwan Lee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/07
JO - Environmental Microbiome
DO - 10.1186/s40793-026-00948-x
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-026-00948-x
AB - Background: Ongoing climate change drives drought events that threaten crop yields worldwide. Traditionally, the focus has been on plant breeding to mitigate losses due to stress; however, this approach fails to leverage the resources available within the holobiont. Microbial treatments have been shown to confer drought tolerance by altering phytohormone levels, enhancing nutrient acquisition, and improving water retention in their plant hosts. However, the role of core seed-associated endophytic fungi in stress resilience remains underexplored. Results: Using Moesziomyces antarcticus RS1, which was previously identified as a core fungus in wild and domesticated rice seed microbiomes, we revealed the functional roles of a core microbe in the host plant’s physiology. M. antarcticus RS1 displayed nutrient- and osmotic stress-responsive dimorphism, consistent with adaptive persistence in the seed endosphere. M. antarcticus RS1 inoculation on rice seed significantly improved yield traits by increasing grain quantity and biomass. Notably, M. antarcticus RS1 seed-inoculated rice performed better under PEG-induced osmotic stress, which was associated with increased osmoprotectant levels and growth benefits observed under PEG-treated and untreated conditions. Treatment of M. antarcticus RS1 was associated with increases in drought-related class 2 and class 3 Late Embryogenesis Abundant gene expression in rice, including a suite of RAB dehydrins. Conclusions: These findings establish M. antarcticus RS1 as a core seed endophyte that improves rice drought tolerance and productivity, positioning it as a novel bioinoculant for sustainable agriculture, particularly in water-limited environments. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-026-00948-x.
SN - 2524-6372
ER -