Sinorhizobium meliloti cells: untreated 1021 strain vs. 1021 treated with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)
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ABSTRACT: Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the most limiting factors for plant growth. Some microorganisms improve the uptake and availability of N and P, minimizing chemical fertilizer dependence. It has been published that the RD64 strain, a Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 strain engineered to overproduce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), showed improved nitrogen fixation ability as compared to the wild type 1021 strain. We present here data showing that RD64 is also highly effective in mobilizing P from insoluble sources such as phosphate rock (PR). Under P-limiting conditions, the higher P-mobilizing activity of RD64, as compared to the 1021 wild type strain, is connected with the up-regulation of genes coding for the high-affinity P transport system, the induction of acid phosphatase activity and the increased secretion into the growth media of malic, succinic and fumaric acids. Medicago truncatula plants nodulated by RD64 (Mt-RD64), when grown under P-deficient conditions, released higher amounts of another P-solubilizing organic acid, the 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, as compared to the plants nodulated by the wild-type strain (Mt-1021). It has already been shown that Mt-RD64 plants exhibited a higher dry weight production as compared to Mt-1021 plants. Here we report that also P-starved Mt-RD64 plants show a significant increase both in shoot and root fresh weight when compared to P-starved Mt-1021 plants. We discuss how, in a rhizobium-legume model system, a balanced interplay of different factors linked to the bacterial IAA over-production rather than IAA production per se stimulates plant growth under stressful environmental conditions, and in particular, under P-starvation.
ORGANISM(S): Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 Sinorhizobium meliloti
PROVIDER: GSE21737 | GEO | 2010/05/20
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA129371
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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