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Isolation, chemical structures and biological activity of the lipo-chitin oligosaccharide nodulation signals from Rhizobium etli

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Abstract

Rhizobium etli is a microsymbiont of plants of the genus Phaseolus. Using mass spectrometry we have identified the lipo-chitin oligosaccharides (LCOs) that are produced by R. etli strain CE3. They are N-acetylglucosamine pentasaccharides of which the non-reducing residue is N-methylated and N-acylated with cis-vaccenic acid (C18:1) or stearic acid (C18:0) and carries a carbamoyl group at C4. The reducing residue is substituted at the C6 position with O-acetylfucose. Analysis of their biological activity on the host plant Phaseolus vulgaris shows that these LCOs can elicit the formation of nodule primordia which develop to the stage where vascular bundles are formed. The formation of complete nodule structures, including an organized vascular tissue, is never observed. Considering the very close resemblance of the R. etli LCO structures to those of R. loti (I. M. López-Lara, J. D. J. van den Berg, J. E. Thomas Oates, J. Glushka, B. J. J. Lugtenberg, H. P. Spaink, Mol Microbiol 15: 627–638, 1995) we tested the ability of R. etli strains to nodulate various Lotus species and of R. loti to nodulate P. vulgaris. The results show that R. etli is indeed able to nodulate Lotus plants. However, several Lotus species are only nodulated when an additional flavonoid independent transcription activator (FITA) nodD gene is provided. Phaseolus plants can also be nodulated by R. loti bacteria, but only when the bacteria contain a FITA nodD gene. Apparently, the type of nod gene inducers secreted by the plants is the major basis for the separation of Phaseolus and Lotus into different cross inoculation groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 64, 2333 AL, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Isabel M. López-Lara, Ben J. J. Lugtenberg & Herman P. Spaink

  2. Department of Mass Spectrometry, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Sorbonnelaan 16, 3584 CA, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Geert Jan Rademaker, Johan Haverkamp & Jane E. Thomas-Oates

Authors
  1. Luis Cárdenas
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  2. Jimena Domínguez
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  3. Carmen Quinto
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  4. Isabel M. López-Lara
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  5. Ben J. J. Lugtenberg
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  6. Herman P. Spaink
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  7. Geert Jan Rademaker
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  8. Johan Haverkamp
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  9. Jane E. Thomas-Oates
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Departamento de Biología Molecular de Plantas, Instituto de Biotecnología niversidad Nacional Autónoma de México

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Cárdenas, L., Domínguez, J., Quinto, C. et al. Isolation, chemical structures and biological activity of the lipo-chitin oligosaccharide nodulation signals from Rhizobium etli . Plant Mol Biol 29, 453–464 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020977

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020977

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