Dataset Information

A mutant GlnD nitrogen sensor protein leads to a nitrogen-fixing but ineffective Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis with alfalfa.

ABSTRACT: The nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between rhizobia and legume plants is a model of coevolved nutritional complementation. The plants reduce atmospheric CO(2) by photosynthesis and provide carbon compounds to symbiotically associated bacteria; the rhizobia use these compounds to reduce (fix) atmospheric N(2) to ammonia, a form of nitrogen the plants can use. A key feature of symbiotic N(2) fixation is that N(2) fixation is uncoupled from bacterial nitrogen stress metabolism so that the rhizobia generate "excess" ammonia and release this ammonia to the plant. In the symbiosis between Sinorhizobium meliloti and alfalfa, mutations in GlnD, the major bacterial nitrogen stress response sensor protein, led to a symbiosis in which nitrogen was fixed (Fix(+)) but was not effective (Eff(-)) in substantially increasing plant growth. Fixed (15)N(2) was transported to the shoots, but most fixed (15)N was not present in the plant after 24 h. Analysis of free-living S. meliloti strains with mutations in genes related to nitrogen stress response regulation (glnD, glnB, ntrC, and ntrA) showed that catabolism of various nitrogen-containing compounds depended on the NtrC and GlnD components of the nitrogen stress response cascade. However, only mutants of GlnD with an amino terminal deletion had the unusual Fix(+)Eff(-) symbiotic phenotype, and the data suggest that these glnD mutants export fixed nitrogen in a form that the plants cannot use. These results indicate that bacterial nitrogen stress regulation is important to symbiotic productivity and suggest that GlnD may act in a novel way to influence symbiotic behavior.

SUBMITTER: Yurgel SN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2596199 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A mutant GlnD nitrogen sensor protein leads to a nitrogen-fixing but ineffective Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis with alfalfa.

Yurgel Svetlana N SN Kahn Michael L ML

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20081119 48

The nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between rhizobia and legume plants is a model of coevolved nutritional complementation. The plants reduce atmospheric CO(2) by photosynthesis and provide carbon compounds to symbiotically associated bacteria; the rhizobia use these compounds to reduce (fix) atmospheric N(2) to ammonia, a form of nitrogen the plants can use. A key feature of symbiotic N(2) fixation is that N(2) fixation is uncoupled from bacterial nitrogen stress metabolism so that the rhizobia gener ...[more]

PMID: 19020095

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND: Sinorhizobium meliloti is a model system for the studies of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. An extensive polymorphism at the genetic and phenotypic level is present in natural populations of this species, especially in relation with symbiotic promotion of plant growth. AK83 and BL225C are two nodule-isolated strains with diverse symbiotic phenotypes; BL225C is more efficient in promoting growth of the Medicago sativa plants than strain AK83. In order to investigate the genetic determinants of the phenotypic diversification of S. meliloti strains AK83 and BL225C, we sequenced the complete genomes for these two strains. RESULTS: With sizes of 7.14 Mbp and 6.97 Mbp, respectively, the genomes of AK83 and BL225C are larger than the laboratory strain Rm1021. The core genome of Rm1021, AK83, BL225C strains included 5124 orthologous groups, while the accessory genome was composed by 2700 orthologous groups. While Rm1021 and BL225C have only three replicons (Chromosome, pSymA and pSymB), AK83 has also two plasmids, 260 and 70 Kbp long. We found 65 interesting orthologous groups of genes that were present only in the accessory genome, consequently responsible for phenotypic diversity and putatively involved in plant-bacterium interaction. Notably, the symbiosis inefficient AK83 lacked several genes required for microaerophilic growth inside nodules, while several genes for accessory functions related to competition, plant invasion and bacteroid tropism were identified only in AK83 and BL225C strains. Presence and extent of polymorphism in regulons of transcription factors involved in symbiotic interaction were also analyzed. Our results indicate that regulons are flexible, with a large number of accessory genes, suggesting that regulons polymorphism could also be a key determinant in the variability of symbiotic performances among the analyzed strains. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusions, the extended comparative genomics approach revealed a variable subset of genes and regulons that may contribute to the symbiotic diversity.

Dataset Information

A mutant GlnD nitrogen sensor protein leads to a nitrogen-fixing but ineffective Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis with alfalfa.

Publications

A mutant GlnD nitrogen sensor protein leads to a nitrogen-fixing but ineffective Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis with alfalfa.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets