Christine M. Pestalozzi

ZeaMiC provides a culture collection of maize root-associated bacteria to study plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions.

The paper studies how synthetic communities of maize root bacteria interact to alter benzoxazinoid metabolization, leading to increased community tolerance and alternative degradation products.

The paper identifies BxdA, a lactonase in maize root bacteria, which enables metabolic adaptation to benzoxazinoids, enhancing bacterial growth under carbon limitation.