Summary
The Rhizobium trifolii genes necessary for nodule induction and development have been isolated on a 14.0kb fragment of symbiotic (Sym) plasmid DNA. When cloned into a broad-host-range plasmid vector, these sequences confer a clover nodulation phenotype on a derivative of R. trifolii which has been cured of its endogenous Sym plasmid. Furthermore, these sequences encode both host specificity and nodulation functions since they confer the ability to recognize and nodulate clover plants on Agrobacterium and a fast-growing cowpea Rhizobium. This indicates that the bacterial genes essential for the initial, highly-specific interaction with plants are closely linked.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bagdasarian M, Lurz R, Ruckert B, Franklin FCH, Bagdasarian MM, Frey J, Timmis KN: Specific-purpose plasmid cloning vectors. II. Broad host range, high copy number, RSF1010-derived vectors, and a host-vector system for gene cloning in Pseudomonas. Gene 16:237–247, 1981.
Banfalvi Z, Sakanyan V, Koncz C, Kiss A, Dush I, Kondorosi A. Location of nodulation and nitrogen fixation genes on a high molecular weight plasmid of Rhizobium meliloti. Mol Gen Genet 184:318–325, 1981.
Banfalvi Z, Randhawa GS, Kondorosi E, Kiss A, Kondorosi A: Construction and characterization of R-prime plasmids carrying symbiotic genes of R. meliloti. Mol Gen Genet 189:129–135, 1983.
Barth PT, Grinter NJ: Map of plasmid RP4 by insertion of transposon C. J Mol Biol 113:455–474, 1977.
Beringer JE. R factor transfer in Rhizobium leguminosarum. J Gen Microbiol 84:188–198, 1974.
Beringer JE, Beynon JL, Buchanan-Wollaston AV, Johnston AWB: Transfer of drug-resistance transposon Tn5 to Rhizobium. Nature 276:633–634, 1978.
Bolivar F, Rodriguez R, Greene PJ, Betlach M, Heyneker HL, Boyer HW, Crosa J, Falkow S: Construction and characterisation of new cloning vehicles. II. A multipurpose cloning system. Gene 2:95–113, 1977.
Buchanan-Wollaston AV, Beringer JE, Brewin NJ, Hirsch PR, Johnston AWB: Isolation of symbiotically defective mutants in Rhizobium leguminosarum by insertion of the transposon Tn5 into a transmissible plasmid. Mol Gen Genet 178:185–190, 1980.
Brewin NJ, Wood WA, Johnston AWB, Dibb NJ, Hombrecher G: Recombinant nodulation plasmids in Rhizobium leguminosarum. J Gen Microbiol 128:1817–1827, 1982.
Downie JA, Ma Q-S, Knight CD, Hombrecher G, Johnston AWB: Cloning of the symbiotic region of Rhizobium leguminosarum: the nodulation genes are between the nitrogenase genes and a nifA-like gene. EMBO J 2:947–952, 1983.
Djordjevic MA, Zurkowski W, Rolfe BG: Plasmids and stability of symbiotic properties of Rhizobium trifolii. J Bacteriol 151:560–568, 1982.
Gresshoff PM, Skotnicki ML, Eadie JF, Rolfe BG: Viability of Rhizobium trifolii bacteroids from clover root nodules. Plant Sci Lett 10:299–304, 1977.
Hombrecher G, Brewin NJ, Johnston AWB: Linkage of genes for nitrogenase and nodulation ability on plasmids in Rhizobium leguminosarum and R. phaseoli. Mol Gen Genet 182:133–136, 1981.
Hooykaas PJJ, van Brussel AAN, den Dulk-Ras H, van Slogteren GMS, Schilperoort RA. Sym plasmid of Rhizobium trifolii expressed in different rhizobial species and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Nature 291:351–353, 1981.
Johnston AWB, Beynon JL, Buchanan-Wollaston AV, Setchell SM, Hirsch PR, Beringer JE: High frequency transfer of nodulating ability between strains and species of Rhizobium. Nature 276:634–36, 1978.
Jorgensen RA, Rothstein SJ, Reznikoff WS: A restriction enzyme cleavage map of Tn5 and location of a region encoding neomycin resistance. Mol Gen Genet 177:65–72, 1979.
Kondorosi A, Johnston AWB: The genetics of Rhizobium. Int. Rev. Cyto., Sup. 13. Giles K & Atherly A (eds) Biology of the Rhizobiaceae. Academic Press, New York, 1981, pp 191–224.
Kondorosi A, Kondorosi E, Pankhurst CE, Broughton WJ, Banfalvi Z. Mobilization of a Rhizobium meliloti megaplasmid carrying nodulation and nitrogen fixation genes into other rhizobia and Agrobacterium. Mol Gen Genet 188: 433–439, 1982.
Lamb JW, Hombrecher G, Johnston AWB: Plasmid-determined nodulation and nitrogen-fixation abilities in Rhizobium phaseoli. Mol Gen Genet 186:449–452, 1982.
Long SR, Buikema WJ, Ausubel FM: Cloning of Rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes by direct complementation of Nod-mutants. Nature 298:485–488, 1982.
Ma Q-S, Johnston AWB, Hombrecher G, Downie JA: Molecular genetics of mutants of Rhizobium leguminosarum which fail to fix nitrogen. Mol Gen Genet 187:166–171, 1982.
Meade HM, Long SR, Ruvkun GB, Brown SE, Ausubel FM: Physical and genetic characterization of symbiotic and auxotrophic mutants of Rhizobium meliloti induced by Tn5 mutagenesis. J Bacteriol 149:114–122, 1982.
Morrison NA, Hau CY, Trinick MJ, Shine J, Rolfe BG: Heat curing of a sym plasmid in a fast-growing Rhizobium sp. that is able to nodulate legumes and the non-legume Parasponia sp. J Bacteriol 153:527–531, 1983.
Newcomb W. A correlated light and electron microscopic study of symbiotic growth and differentiation in Pisum sativum root nodules. Can J Bot 54:2163–2168, 1976.
Nuti MP, Lepidi AA, Prakash RK, Schilperoort RA, Cannon FC: Evidence for nitrogen fixing (nif) genes on indigenous Rhizobium plasmids. Nature 282:533–535, 1979.
Nutman PS: Physiological studies on nodule formation II. The influence of delayed inoculation on the rate of nodulation in red clover. Ann Bot 13:261–283, 1949.
Rolfe BG, Gresshoff PM, Shine J: Rapid screening for symbiotic mutants of Rhizobium and white clover. Plant Sci Lett 19:277–284, 1980.
Rolfe BG, Djordjevic MA, Scott KF, Hughes JE, Badenoch-Jones J, Gresshoff PM, Cen Y, Dudman WF, Zurkowski W, Shine J. Analysis of nodule-forming ability of fast-growing Rhizobium strains. In: Gibson A & Newton W (eds) Current Perspective in Nitrogen Fixation. Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 1981, pp 142–145.
Rosenberg C, Boistard P, Dénarié J, Casse-Delbart FL: Genes controlling early and late functions in symbiosis are located on a megaplasmid in Rhizobium meliloti. Mol Gen Genet 184:326–333, 1981.
Ruvkun GB, Ausubel FM: Interspecies homology of nitrogenase genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77:191–195, 1980.
Schofield PR, Djordjevic MA, Rolfe BG, Shine J, Watson JM: A molecular linkage map of nitrogenase and nodulation genes in Rhizobium trifolii. Mol Gen Genet, 1983 (in press).
Scott DB, Farnden KJF, Robertson JG. Ammonia assimilation in lupin nodules. Nature 263:703–705, 1976.
Scott KF, Hughes JE, Gresshoff PM, Beringer JE, Rolfe BG, Shine J: Molecular cloning of Rhizobium trifolii genes involved in symbiotic nitrogen fixation. J Mol Appl Genet 1:315–326, 1982.
Simon R, Weber G, Arnold W, Puhler A: Analysis of plasmid borne genes in Rhizobium meliloti by Tn5 mutagenesis. In: Clark K & Stephens J (eds) Proceedings of the 8th North American Rhizobium Conference. University of Manitoba Press, Winnipeg, 1982, pp 67–89.
Spurr AR. A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J Ultrastruct Res 26:31–43, 1969.
Trinick MJ: Relationships amongst the fast-growing rhizobia of Lablab purpureus, Leucaena leucocephala, Mimosa spp. Acacia farnesiana and Sesbania grandiflora and their affinities with other rhizobial groups. J Appl Bacteriol 49:39–53, 1980.
Vincent JM: Root-nodule symbiosis with Rhizobium. In: Quispel A (ed) Biology of Nitrogen Fixation. North Holland Publ. Co., Amsterdam, 1974, pp 265–341.
Vincent JM: Factors controlling the legume Rhizobium symbiosis. In: Newton W & Orme-Johnson W (eds) Nitrogen Fixation 2. University Park Press, Baltimore, 1980, pp 103–129.
Zurkowski W, Lorkiewicz Z: Effective method for the isolation of non-nodulating mutants of Rhizobium trifolii. Genet Res 32:311–314, 1978.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schofield, P.R., Ridge, R.W., Rolfe, B.G. et al. Host-specific nodulation is encoded on a 14kb DNA fragment in Rhizobium trifolii . Plant Mol Biol 3, 3–11 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023410
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023410