Isolation and symbiotic characterization of transposon Tn5-induced arginine auxotrophs of Sinorhizobium meliloti.

Seventeen arginine auxotrophic mutants of Sinorhizobium meliloti Rmd201 were isolated by random transposon Tn5 mutagenesis using Tn5 delivery vector pGS9. Based on intermediate feeding studies, these mutants were designated as argA/argB/argC/argD/argE (ornithine auxotrophs), argF/argI, argG and argH mutants. The ornithine auxotrophs induced ineffective nodules whereas all other arginine auxotrophs induced fully effective nodules on alfalfa plants. In comparison to the parental strain induced nodule, only a few nodule cells infected with rhizobia were seen in the nitrogen fixation zone of the nodule induced by the ornithine auxotroph. TEM studies showed that the bacteroids in the nitrogen fixation zone of ornithine auxotroph induced nodule were mostly spherical or oval unlike the elongated bacteroids in the nitrogen fixation zone of the parental strain induced nodule. These results indicate that ornithine or an intermediate of ornithine biosynthesis, or a chemical factor derived from one of these compounds is required for the normal development of nitrogen fixation zone and transformation of rhizobial bacteria into bacteroids during symbiosis of S. meliloti with alfalfa plants.

Milestones in the genetical research on rhizobia.

The first isolation of the rhizobial bacteria from the legume roots was done in 1888. Since then a large number of scientists have made efforts to understand the molecular basis of Rhizobium-legume symbiosis. The important developments of 115 years of genetical research on rhizobia have been listed in this article.

Recent advances in Rhizobium-legume symbiosis.

The research findings in the field of Rhizobium-legume symbiosis reported worldwide during the years 2002 and 2003 (up to September) have been summarized. The information is presented under the various topics, viz., isolation and characterization of rhizobial strains, physiological aspects of nitrogen fixation, rhizosphere interactions and root surface signals, genomics and proteomics, plant genes involved in nodule formation, bioremediation and biocontrol, and review articles and conference reports. The postal and e-mail addresses of the concerned scientists have also been included.