Legumes have evolved a nitrogen-fixing symbiotic interaction with rhizobia, and this association helps them to cope with the limited nitrogen conditions in soil. The compatible interaction between the host plant and rhizobia leads to the formation of root nodules, wherein internalization and transition of rhizobia into their symbiotic form, termed bacteroids, occur. Rhizobia in the nodules of the Inverted Repeat-Lacking Clade legumes, including Medicago truncatula, undergo terminal differentiation, resulting in elongated and endoreduplicated bacteroids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe host-produced nodule specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides control the terminal differentiation of endosymbiotic rhizobia in the nodules of IRLC legumes. Although the Medicago truncatula genome encodes about 700 NCR peptides, only few of them have been proven to be crucial for nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. In this study, we applied the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to generate knockout mutants of NCR genes for which no genetic or functional data were previously available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSymbiotic interactions between legumes and rhizobia lead to the development of root nodules and nitrogen fixation by differentiated bacteroids within nodules. Differentiation of the endosymbionts is reversible or terminal, determined by plant effectors. In inverted repeat lacking clade legumes, nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides control the terminal differentiation of bacteroids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the nodules of IRLC legumes, including Medicago truncatula, nitrogen-fixing rhizobia undergo terminal differentiation resulting in elongated and endoreduplicated bacteroids specialized for nitrogen fixation. This irreversible transition of rhizobia is mediated by host produced nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides, of which c. 700 are encoded in the M.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe bs5 resistance gene against bacterial spot was identified by map-based cloning. The recessive bs5 gene of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) conditions a non-hypersensitive resistance trait, characterized by a slightly swollen, pale green, photosynthetically active leaf tissue, following Xanthomonas euvesicatoria infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLegumes establish an endosymbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. Following the mutual recognition of the symbiotic partner, the infection process is controlled by the induction of the signaling pathway and subsequent activation of symbiosis-related host genes. One of the protein complexes regulating nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis is formed by GRAS domain regulatory proteins Nodulation Signaling Pathways 1 and 2 (NSP1 and NSP2) that control the expression of several early nodulation genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe symbiotic relationship between legumes and rhizobium bacteria in root nodules has a high demand for iron, and questions remain regarding which transporters are involved. Here, we characterize two nodule-specific Vacuolar iron Transporter-Like (VTL) proteins in Medicago truncatula. Localization of fluorescent fusion proteins and mutant studies were carried out to correlate with existing RNA-seq data showing differential expression of VTL4 and VTL8 during early and late infection, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant genomes contain two major classes of innate immune receptors to recognize different pathogens. The pattern recognition receptors perceive conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns and the resistance genes with nucleotide-binding (NB) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains recognize specific pathogen effectors. The precise regulation of resistance genes is important since the unregulated expression of NB-LRR genes can inhibit growth and may result in autoimmunity in the absence of pathogen infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRoot nodule symbiosis in legumes is established following interaction of compatible rhizobia that activates an array of genes, commonly known as symbiotic-pathway, resulting in nodule development. In model legumes, bacterial entry mainly occurs through infection thread involving the expression of transcription factor CYCLOPS/IPD3. Here we show the functional analysis of AhCYCLOPS in Arachis hypogaea where bacteria invade roots through epidermal cracks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant systemic signaling pathways allow the integration and coordination of shoot and root organ metabolism and development at the whole-plant level depending on nutrient availability. In legumes, two systemic pathways have been reported in the model to regulate root nitrogen-fixing symbiotic nodulation. Both pathways involve leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases acting in shoots and proposed to perceive signaling peptides produced in roots depending on soil nutrient availability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy profiling was used to provide an unbiased assessment of changes to the metabolite composition of seeds and to define genetic variation for a range of pea seed metabolites. Mature seeds from recombinant inbred lines, derived from three mapping populations for which there is substantial genetic marker linkage information, were grown in two environments/years and analyzed by non-targeted NMR. Adaptive binning of the NMR metabolite data, followed by analysis of quantitative variation among lines for individual bins, identified the main genomic regions determining this metabolic variability and the variability for selected compounds was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLegumes form endosymbiotic interaction with host compatible rhizobia, resulting in the development of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Within symbiotic nodules, rhizobia are intracellularly accommodated in plant-derived membrane compartments, termed symbiosomes. In mature nodule, the massively colonized cells tolerate the existence of rhizobia without manifestation of visible defense responses, indicating the suppression of plant immunity in the nodule in the favur of the symbiotic partner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
June 2017
Legumes engage in root nodule symbioses with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria known as rhizobia. In nodule cells, bacteria are enclosed in membrane-bound vesicles called symbiosomes and differentiate into bacteroids that are capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. Bacteroid differentiation and prolonged intracellular survival are essential for development of functional nodules.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHost compatible rhizobia induce the formation of legume root nodules, symbiotic organs within which intracellular bacteria are present in plant-derived membrane compartments termed symbiosomes. In Medicago truncatula nodules, the Sinorhizobium microsymbionts undergo an irreversible differentiation process leading to the development of elongated polyploid noncultivable nitrogen fixing bacteroids that convert atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia. This terminal differentiation is directed by the host plant and involves hundreds of nodule specific cysteine-rich peptides (NCRs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The formation of functional symbiotic nodules is the result of a coordinated developmental program between legumes and rhizobial bacteria. Genetic analyses in legumes have been used to dissect the signaling processes required for establishing the legume-rhizobial endosymbiotic association. Compared to the early events of the symbiotic interaction, less attention has been paid to plant loci required for rhizobial colonization and the functioning of the nodule.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLegumes form endosymbiotic associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi which facilitate nutrient uptake. Both symbiotic interactions require a molecular signal exchange between the plant and the symbiont, and this involves a conserved symbiosis (Sym) signaling pathway. In order to identify plant genes required for intracellular accommodation of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and AM fungi, we characterized Medicago truncatula symbiotic mutants defective for rhizobial infection of nodule cells and colonization of root cells by AM hyphae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA novel method was developed for the analysis of molecular species in neutral lipid classes, using separation by normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography, followed by detection by evaporative light-scattering and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Monoacid standards, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe formation of a nitrogen-fixing nodule requires the coordinated development of rhizobial colonization and nodule organogenesis. Based on its mutant phenotype, lumpy infections (lin), LIN functions at an early stage of the rhizobial symbiotic process, required for both infection thread growth in root hair cells and the further development of nodule primordia. We show that spontaneous nodulation activated by the calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase is independent of LIN; thus, LIN is not necessary for nodule organogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we report the identification and quantification of the molecular species of long-, medium-, and short-chain triacylglycerols (TAG) in butterfat (BF), including TAG with an odd number of acyl carbons (ACN) and TAG with unidentified molecular species. In the present study, in addition to auto-MS(2), a large number of methods, each recording MS(2) for 1-4 ions, were used for identification of TAG species. For the quantification of long-chain, odd ACN TAG, and TAG with unidentified molecular species, molar correction factors (MCF) were calculated from the uncorrected mol% (area mol%) of each ACN:DB (number of double bonds) class in randomized butterfat (RBF), and the respective mol% in the calculated random composition of RBF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNodulation is tightly regulated in legumes to ensure appropriate levels of nitrogen fixation without excessive depletion of carbon reserves. This balance is maintained by intimately linking nodulation and its regulation with plant hormones. It has previously been shown that ethylene and jasmonic acid (JA) are able to regulate nodulation and Nod factor signal transduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper we describe the identification of a gene, MsDWF1 coding for a putative gibberellin 3-beta-hydroxylase (GA3ox), whose natural mutation is conditioning a dwarf growth phenotype in Medicago sativa. The dwarf phenotype could not be complemented with grafting, which indicates that the bioactive gibberellin compound necessary for shoot elongation is immobile. On the contrary, exogenously added gibberellic acid restored normal growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRhizobial bacteria activate the formation of nodules on the appropriate host legume plant, and this requires the bacterial signaling molecule Nod factor. Perception of Nod factor in the plant leads to the activation of a number of rhizobial-induced genes. Putative transcriptional regulators in the GRAS family are known to function in Nod factor signaling, but these proteins have not been shown to be capable of direct DNA binding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA quantitative electron impact GC-MS method using molar correction factors (MCFs) for [M-RCOO]+ ions has been developed for determination of molecular species of triacylglycerols (TAGs). MCFs were determined by linear calibration for 226 ions of 104 TAG species with good reproducibility: on the average, coefficient of determination was 0.975 +/- 0.
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