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- Title
Nodulation of legumes by members of the beta-subclass of Proteobacteria.
- Authors
Moulin, L; Munive, A; Dreyfus, B; Boivin-Masson, C
- Abstract
Members of the Leguminosae form the largest plant family on Earth, with around 18,000 species. The success of legumes can largely be attributed to their ability to form a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with specific bacteria known as rhizobia, manifested by the development of nodules on the plant roots in which the bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen, a major contributor to the global nitrogen cycle. Rhizobia described so far belong exclusively to the alpha-subclass of Proteobacteria, where they are distributed in four distinct phylogenetic branches. Although nitrogen-fixing bacteria exist in other proteobacterial subclasses, for example Herbaspirillum and Azoarcus from the phylogenetically distant beta-subclass, none has been found to harbour the nod genes essential for establishing rhizobial symbiosis. Here we report the identification of proteobacteria from the beta-subclass that nodulate legumes. This finding shows that the ability to establish a symbiosis with legumes is more widespread in bacteria than anticipated to date.
- Publication
Nature, 2001, Vol 411, Issue 6840, p948
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1038/35082070