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Special Issue "Molecular Mechanisms in Root Nodule Symbiosis"

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 3378

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Dr. Ziliang Luo

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Department of Agronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: bioinformatics; molecular biology; genetics

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Dear Colleagues,

Root nodule symbiosis (RNS) is a unique trait found in plants of the “nitrogen fixation” clade (Fabales, Fagales, Curcubitales, and Rosales). The RNS provides plants with biologically fixed nitrogen and enriches the organic nitrogen in soil, which is essential to sustainable agriculture. The legume-rhizobia symbiosis being the most well-known and efficient association.

Many studies have been conducted on legume-rhizobia symbiosis to help explain RNS mechanisms. Numerous genes and molecules controlling the legume-rhizobia symbiosis have been identified and characterized. Despite this, the symbiosis mechanism is still not fully understood, especially when considering the RNS diversity in bacteria infection, metabolism, etc. Understanding the molecular mechanisms is essential for improving biological nitrogen fixation in RNS crops and engineering this trait in non-legume crops.

This special issue aims to provide better understanding of the RNS molecular mechanisms through different genetic approaches.

Dr. Ziliang Luo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

legume
root nodule symbiosis
biological nitrogen fixation
rhizobia infection
root–microbe interactions

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diverse Bradyrhizobium spp. with Similar Symbiosis Genes Nodulate Peanut in Different Regions of China: Characterization of Symbiovar sv. Arachis

and

Plants 2023, 12(21), 3776; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12213776 - 06 Nov 2023

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Abstract

A total of 219 rhizobial strains isolated from peanut grown in soils from six peanut croplands in Zhengyang county, Henan Province, were typed by PCR-RFLP of IGS sequences. Their phylogenetic relationships were refined on representative strains using sequence analyses of 16S rRNA genes, housekeeping genes (atpD, recA, glnII) and symbiosis genes (nodA, nodC and nifH). The 219 rhizobial isolates were classified into 13 IGS types, and twenty representatives were defined within eight Bradyrhizobium genospecies: B. guangdongense covering 5 IGS types (75.2% of total isolates), B. guangzhouense (2 IGS types, 2.7% total isolates), B. zhengyangense (1 IGS type, 11.3% total isolates) and five novel genospecies (5 IGS types, 0.9 to 3.2% total isolates). All representative strains had identical nodA, nodC and nifH sequences except for one nifH sequence. With this one exception, these sequences were identical to those of the type strains of Bradyrhizobium species and several Bradyrhizobium genospecies isolated from peanut in different regions of China. The nodC sequences of all strains showed < 67% similarity to the closest strains on the Genbank database indicating that they are representative of a novel Bradyrhiobium symbiovar. This study has shown that (1) diverse Bradyrhizobium spp. with similar symbiosis genes nodulate peanut in different regions of China. (2) Horizontal transfer of genes involved in nodulating peanut is common between Bradyrhizobium species in soils used to grow the crop in China. (3) The strains studied here are representative of a novel Bradyrhizobium symbiovar that nodulates peanut in China. We propose the name sv. arachis for this novel symbiovar indicating that the strains were isolated from Arachis hypogaea. Results here have practical implications in relation to the selection of rhizobial inoculants for peanut in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms in Root Nodule Symbiosis)

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15 pages, 2212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multitask Approach to Localize Rhizobial Type Three Secretion System Effector Proteins Inside Eukaryotic Cells

Irene Jiménez-Guerrero

Francisco Javier López-Baena

and

Carlos Medina

Plants 2023, 12(11), 2133; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112133 - 28 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 901

Abstract

Rhizobia can establish mutually beneficial interactions with legume plants by colonizing their roots to induce the formation of a specialized structure known as a nodule, inside of which the bacteria are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is well established that the compatibility of such interactions is mainly determined by the bacterial recognition of flavonoids secreted by the plants, which in response to these flavonoids trigger the synthesis of the bacterial Nod factors that drive the nodulation process. Additionally, other bacterial signals are involved in the recognition and the efficiency of this interaction, such as extracellular polysaccharides or some secreted proteins. Some rhizobial strains inject proteins through the type III secretion system to the cytosol of legume root cells during the nodulation process. Such proteins, called type III-secreted effectors (T3E), exert their function in the host cell and are involved, among other tasks, in the attenuation of host defense responses to facilitate the infection, contributing to the specificity of the process. One of the main challenges of studying rhizobial T3E is the inherent difficulty in localizing them in vivo in the different subcellular compartments within their host cells, since in addition to their low concentration under physiological conditions, it is not always known when or where they are being produced and secreted. In this paper, we use a well-known rhizobial T3E, named NopL, to illustrate by a multitask approach where it localizes in heterologous hosts models, such as tobacco plant leaf cells, and also for the first time in transfected and/or Salmonella-infected animal cells. The consistency of our results serves as an example to study the location inside eukaryotic cells of effectors in distinct hosts with different handling techniques that can be used in almost every research laboratory. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms in Root Nodule Symbiosis)

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Review

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16 pages, 2748 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plant–Environment Response Pathway Regulation Uncovered by Investigating Non-Typical Legume Symbiosis and Nodulation

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Plants 2023, 12(10), 1964; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12101964 - 12 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1608

Abstract

Nitrogen is an essential element needed for plants to survive, and legumes are well known to recruit rhizobia to fix atmospheric nitrogen. In this widely studied symbiosis, legumes develop specific structures on the roots to host specific symbionts. This review explores alternate nodule structures and their functions outside of the more widely studied legume–rhizobial symbiosis, as well as discussing other unusual aspects of nodulation. This includes actinorhizal-Frankia, cycad-cyanobacteria, and the non-legume Parasponia andersonii-rhizobia symbioses. Nodules are also not restricted to the roots, either, with examples found within stems and leaves. Recent research has shown that legume–rhizobia nodulation brings a great many other benefits, some direct and some indirect. Rhizobial symbiosis can lead to modifications in other pathways, including the priming of defence responses, and to modulated or enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. With so many avenues to explore, this review discusses recent discoveries and highlights future directions in the study of nodulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms in Root Nodule Symbiosis)

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