Dataset Information

Nodule inception directly targets NF-Y subunit genes to regulate essential processes of root nodule development in Lotus japonicus.

ABSTRACT: The interactions of legumes with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria cause the formation of specialized lateral root organs called root nodules. It has been postulated that this root nodule symbiosis system has recruited factors that act in early signaling pathways (common SYM genes) partly from the ancestral mycorrhizal symbiosis. However, the origins of factors needed for root nodule organogenesis are largely unknown. NODULE INCEPTION (NIN) is a nodulation-specific gene that encodes a putative transcription factor and acts downstream of the common SYM genes. Here, we identified two Nuclear Factor-Y (NF-Y) subunit genes, LjNF-YA1 and LjNF-YB1, as transcriptional targets of NIN in Lotus japonicus. These genes are expressed in root nodule primordia and their translational products interact in plant cells, indicating that they form an NF-Y complex in root nodule primordia. The knockdown of LjNF-YA1 inhibited root nodule organogenesis, as did the loss of function of NIN. Furthermore, we found that NIN overexpression induced root nodule primordium-like structures that originated from cortical cells in the absence of bacterial symbionts. Thus, NIN is a crucial factor responsible for initiating nodulation-specific symbiotic processes. In addition, ectopic expression of either NIN or the NF-Y subunit genes caused abnormal cell division during lateral root development. This indicated that the Lotus NF-Y subunits can function to stimulate cell division. Thus, transcriptional regulation by NIN, including the activation of the NF-Y subunit genes, induces cortical cell division, which is an initial step in root nodule organogenesis. Unlike the legume-specific NIN protein, NF-Y is a major CCAAT box binding protein complex that is widespread among eukaryotes. We propose that the evolution of root nodules in legume plants was associated with changes in the function of NIN. NIN has acquired functions that allow it to divert pathways involved in the regulation of cell division to root nodule organogenesis.

SUBMITTER: Soyano T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3605141 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Nodule inception directly targets NF-Y subunit genes to regulate essential processes of root nodule development in Lotus japonicus.

Soyano Takashi T Kouchi Hiroshi H Hirota Atsuko A Hayashi Makoto M

PLoS genetics 20130321 3

The interactions of legumes with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria cause the formation of specialized lateral root organs called root nodules. It has been postulated that this root nodule symbiosis system has recruited factors that act in early signaling pathways (common SYM genes) partly from the ancestral mycorrhizal symbiosis. However, the origins of factors needed for root nodule organogenesis are largely unknown. NODULE INCEPTION (NIN) is a nodulation-specific gene that encodes a putative ...[more]

PMID: 23555278

Similar Datasets

Project description:Symbiosis receptor kinase (SYMRK) is a cell membrane-localized protein kinase containing extracellular malectin-like domain (MLD) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains, which is critically required for both root nodule symbiosis (RNS) and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis (AMS). SYMRK is widely distributed in the genomes of different plant species; however, the contribution of different domains of SYMRK and its homologs from other plant species to RNS is largely unclear. In this study, SYMRK and its homologs from three typical plant species including Medicago truncatula (for both RNS and AMS), Oryza sativa (for AMS but not RNS), and Arabidopsis thaliana (for neither RNS or AMS) were investigated using domain swap approach in response to rhizobia in Lotus japonicus. Full-length SYMRK from rice and Medicago but not from Arabidopsis could complement Lotus symrk-409 mutant plants to contribute RNS. The chimeric protein with the extracellular domain (ED) of LjSYMRK and cytoplasmic domains (CD) of SYMRK from both Medicago and rice but not Arabidopsis could contribute to RNS in Lotus, suggesting that the CD of SYMRK is required for symbiotic signaling. The chimeric receptors containing the CD of LjSYMRK (SYMRKCD) and the EDs of MtDMI2 (MtDMI2ED), OsSYMRK (OsSYMRKED), AtSYMRK (AtSYMRKED), NFR1 (NFR1ED), and NFR5 (NFR5ED) could complement Lotus symrk-409 mutant plants to develop nodules. However, MtDMI2 could partially complement Lotus symrk-409 mutants to form both effective nodules and ineffective bumps, which is similar to the complementation results from MtDMI2ED-LjSYMRKCD and LjSYMRKGDLC in Lotus symrk-409 mutants, suggesting that ED of SYMRK has a very fine-tune regulation for RNS in Lotus. The deletion of either MLD or LRR on SYMRKGDLC (a mutant version of SYMRK with GDPC motif replaced by GDLC) could contribute to RNS when overexpressed in Lotus symrk-409 mutants, suggesting that MLD and LRR domains might work together to be involved in symbiotic signaling and the LRR domain might play a negative role in LjSYMRKGDLC-mediated RNS. By mutagenizing the conserved amino acids on LRR domain, five serine residues were found to be required for the function of LjSYMRKGDLC in RNS. These finding precisely refine the molecular mechanisms of SYMRK function in symbiotic signaling in L. japonicus.

Dataset Information

Nodule inception directly targets NF-Y subunit genes to regulate essential processes of root nodule development in Lotus japonicus.

Publications

Nodule inception directly targets NF-Y subunit genes to regulate essential processes of root nodule development in Lotus japonicus.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets