Dataset Information

Deletion of rRNA Operons of Sinorhizobium fredii Strain NGR234 and Impact on Symbiosis With Legumes.

ABSTRACT: During their lifecycle, from free-living soil bacteria to endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteroids of legumes, rhizobia must colonize, and cope with environments where nutrient concentrations and compositions vary greatly. Bacterial colonization of legume rhizospheres and of root surfaces is subject to a fierce competition for plant exudates. By contrast root nodules offer to rhizobia sheltered nutrient-rich environments within which the cells that successfully propagated via infection threads can rapidly multiply. To explore the effects on symbiosis of a slower rhizobia growth and metabolism, we deleted one or two copies of the three functional rRNA operons of the promiscuous Sinorhizobium fredii strain NGR234 and examined the impact of these mutations on free-living and symbiotic lifestyles. Strains with two functional rRNA operons (NGR?rRNA1 and NGR?rRNA3) grew almost as rapidly as NGR234, and NGR?rRNA1 was as proficient as the parent strain on all of the five legume species tested. By contrast, the NGR?rRNA1,3 double mutant, which carried a single rRNA operon and grew significantly slower than NGR234, had a reduced symbiotic proficiency on Cajanus cajan, Macroptilium atropurpureum, Tephrosia vogelii, and Vigna unguiculata. In addition, while NGR?rRNA1 and NGR234 equally competed for nodulation of V. unguiculata, strain NGR?rRNA1,3 was clearly outcompeted by wild-type. Surprisingly, on Leucaena leucocephala, NGR?rRNA1,3 was the most proficient strain and competed equally NGR234 for nodule occupation. Together, these results indicate that for strains with otherwise identical repertoires of symbiotic genes, a faster growth on roots and/or inside plant tissues may contribute to secure access to nodules of some hosts. By contrast, other legumes such as L. leucocephala appear as less selective and capable of providing symbiotic environments susceptible to accommodate strains with a broader spectrum of competences.

SUBMITTER: Cherni AE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6381291 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Deletion of rRNA Operons of <i>Sinorhizobium fredii</i> Strain NGR234 and Impact on Symbiosis With Legumes.

Cherni Ala Eddine AE Perret Xavier X

Frontiers in microbiology 20190213

During their lifecycle, from free-living soil bacteria to endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteroids of legumes, rhizobia must colonize, and cope with environments where nutrient concentrations and compositions vary greatly. Bacterial colonization of legume rhizospheres and of root surfaces is subject to a fierce competition for plant exudates. By contrast root nodules offer to rhizobia sheltered nutrient-rich environments within which the cells that successfully propagated via infection threads c ...[more]

PMID: 30814981

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Project description:Rhizobia are nitrogen-fixing bacteria that establish endosymbiotic associations with legumes. Nodule formation depends on various bacterial carbohydrates, including lipopolysaccharides, K-antigens, and exopolysaccharides (EPS). An acidic EPS from Rhizobium sp. strain NGR234 consists of glucosyl (Glc), galactosyl (Gal), glucuronosyl (GlcA), and 4,6-pyruvylated galactosyl (PvGal) residues with beta-1,3, beta-1,4, beta-1,6, alpha-1,3, and alpha-1,4 glycoside linkages. Here we examined the role of NGR234 genes in the synthesis of EPS. Deletions within the exoF, exoL, exoP, exoQ, and exoY genes suppressed accumulation of EPS in bacterial supernatants, a finding that was confirmed by chemical analyses. The data suggest that the repeating subunits of EPS are assembled by an ExoQ/ExoP/ExoF-dependent mechanism, which is related to the Wzy polymerization system of group 1 capsular polysaccharides in Escherichia coli. Mutation of exoK (NGROmegaexoK), which encodes a putative glycanase, resulted in the absence of low-molecular-weight forms of EPS. Analysis of the extracellular carbohydrates revealed that NGROmegaexoK is unable to accumulate exo-oligosaccharides (EOSs), which are O-acetylated nonasaccharide subunits of EPS having the formula Gal(Glc)5(GlcA)2PvGal. When used as inoculants, both the exo-deficient mutants and NGROmegaexoK were unable to form nitrogen-fixing nodules on some hosts (e.g., Albizia lebbeck and Leucaena leucocephala), but they were able to form nitrogen-fixing nodules on other hosts (e.g., Vigna unguiculata). EOSs of the parent strain were biologically active at very low levels (yield in culture supernatants, approximately 50 microg per liter). Thus, NGR234 produces symbiotically active EOSs by enzymatic degradation of EPS, using the extracellular endo-beta-1,4-glycanase encoded by exoK (glycoside hydrolase family 16). We propose that the derived EOSs (and not EPS) are bacterial components that play a crucial role in nodule formation in various legumes.

Dataset Information

Deletion of rRNA Operons of Sinorhizobium fredii Strain NGR234 and Impact on Symbiosis With Legumes.

Publications

Deletion of rRNA Operons of <i>Sinorhizobium fredii</i> Strain NGR234 and Impact on Symbiosis With Legumes.

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