Nitrogen nutrition and the development and senescence of nodules on cowpea seedlings

Drought-induced senescence of Medicago truncatula nodules involves serpin and ferritin to control proteolytic activity and iron levels

Drought is a major constraint for legume growth and yield. Senescence of nitrogen-fixing nodules is one of the early drought responses and may cause nutrient stress in addition to water stress in legumes. For nodule senescence to function as part of a drought-survival strategy, we propose that the intrinsically destructive senescence process must be tightly regulated. Medicago truncatula protease inhibitor and iron scavenger-encoding genes, possibly involved in controlling nodule senescence, were identified. RNA interference (RNAi) lines were constructed in which expression of a serpin or ferritins was knocked down. Both wild-type and RNAi lines were subjected to drought stress and nodule activity and plant physiological responses were measured. Drought caused M. truncatula to initiate nodule senescence before plant growth was affected and before an increase in papain-like proteolytic activity and free iron levels was apparent. Knock-down expression of serpin6 and ferritins caused increased protease activity, free iron levels, early nodule senescence and reduced plant growth. The results suggest that M. truncatula nodule-expressed serpin6 and ferritins mediate ordered drought-induced senescence by regulating papain-like cysteine protease activity and free iron levels. This strategy may allow the drought-stressed plants to benefit maximally from residual nitrogen fixation and nutrient recovery resulting from break down of macromolecules.

Native rhizobia from Zn mining soil promote the growth of Leucaena leucocephala on contaminated soil

Plants on contaminated mining soils often show a reduced growth due to nutrient depletion as well as trace elements (TEs) toxicity. Since those conditions threat plant's survival, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), such as rhizobia, might be of crucial importance for plant colonization on TE-contaminated soils. Native rhizobia from mining soils are promising candidates for bioaugmented phytoremediation of those soils as they are adapted to the specific conditions. In this work, rhizobia from Zn- and Cd-contaminated mining soils were in vitro screened for their PGP features [organic acids, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and siderophore (SID) production; 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity; and Ca₃(PO₄)₂ solubilization] and Zn and Cd tolerance. In addition, some type and reference rhizobia strains were included in the study as well. The in vitro screening indicated that rhizobia and other native genera have great potential for phytoremediation purposes, by exerting, besides biological N₂ fixation, other plant growth-promoting traits. Leucaena leucocephala-Mesorhizobium sp. (UFLA 01-765) showed multielement tolerance and an efficient symbiosis on contaminated soil, decreasing the activities of antioxidative enzymes in shoots. This symbiosis is a promising combination for phytostabilization.

Elemental distribution in tissue components of N2-fixing nodules of Psoralea pinnata plants growing naturally in wetland and upland conditions in the Cape Fynbos of South Africa

There is little information on in situ distribution of nutrient elements in N2-fixing nodules. The aim of this study was to quantify elemental distribution in tissue components of N2-fixing nodules harvested from Psoralea pinnata plants grown naturally in wetland and upland conditions in the Cape Fynbos. The data obtained from particle-induced X-ray emission revealed the occurrence of 20 elements (Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Mo and Ba) in nodule components. Although, in upland plants, the concentrations of S, Fe, Si, Mn and Cu showed a steady increase from the middle cortex to the medulla region of P. pinnata nodules, in wetland plants, only S, Fe and Mn showed an increase in concentration from the middle cortex to the bacteria-infected medulla of P. pinnata nodules. By contrast, the concentrations of Cl, K, Ca, Zn and Sr decreased from middle cortex to nodule medulla. The alkaline earth, alkali and transition elements Rb, Sr, Y and Zr, never before reported in N2-fixing nodules, were found to occur in root nodules of P. pinnata plants grown in both wetland and upland conditions.

Organogenesis of legume root nodules

The N(2)-fixing nodules elicited by rhizobia on legume roots represent a useful model for studying plant development. Nodule formation implies a complex progression of temporally and spatially regulated events of cell differentiation/dedifferentiation involving several root tissues. In this review we describe the morphogenetic events leading to the development of these histologically well-structured organs. These events include (1) root hair deformation, (2) development and growth of infection threads, (3) induction of the nodule primordium, and (4) induction, activity, and persistence of the nodular meristem and/or of foci of meristematic activities. Particular attention is given to specific aspects of the symbiosis, such as the early stages of intracellular invasion and to differentiation of the intracellular form of rhizobia, called symbiosomes. These developmental aspects were correlated with (1) the regulatory signals exchanged, (2) the plant genes expressed in specific cell types, and (3) the staining procedures that allow the recognition of some cell types. When strictly linked with morphogenesis, the nodulation phenotypes of plant and bacterial mutants such as the developmental consequence of the treatment with metabolic inhibitors, metabolic intermediates, or the variation of physical parameters are described. Finally, some aspects of nodule senescence and of regulation of nodulation are discussed.

Effect of short-term N(2) deficiency on expression of the ureide pathway in cowpea root nodules

Root systems of 28-d-old cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp cv Vita 3: Bradyrhizobium sp. strain CB756) plants bearing nitrogen-fixing nodules in sand culture were exposed to an atmosphere of Ar:O(2) (80:20, v/v) for 48 h and then returned to air. Root systems of control plants were maintained in air throughout. Nodules were harvested at the same times in control and Ar:O(2)-treated root systems. Activities of two enzymes of de novo purine synthesis, glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (GART; EC 2.1.2.2), aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (AIRS; EC 6.3.3.1), uricase (EC 1.7.3.3), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC; EC 4.1.1.31) were measured together with the protein level of each using immune-specific polyclonal antibodies. AIRS activity and protein both declined to very low levels within 6 h in Ar:O(2) together with a decline in transcript level of pur5, the encoding gene. GART activity, protein, and transcript (pur3) levels were relatively stable. Uricase activity declined in Ar:O(2) as rapidly as AIRS activity but the protein was stable. PEPC activity showed evidence of increased sensitivity to inhibition by malate but the protein level was stable. The data indicate that the flux of fixed N from bacteroids (N(2)-fixing nodule bacteria) is in some way associated with transcriptional control over pur5 and possibly also catabolism of AIRS protein. In contrast, there is limited posttranslational control over GART and PEPC and close posttranslational control over uricase activity. The significance of these different levels of regulation is discussed in relation to the overall control of enhanced expression of plant enzymes in the cowpea symbiosis.

Rhizobium-legume symbiosis and nitrogen fixation under severe conditions and in an arid climate

Biological N(2) fixation represents the major source of N input in agricultural soils including those in arid regions. The major N(2)-fixing systems are the symbiotic systems, which can play a significant role in improving the fertility and productivity of low-N soils. The Rhizobium-legume symbioses have received most attention and have been examined extensively. The behavior of some N(2)-fixing systems under severe environmental conditions such as salt stress, drought stress, acidity, alkalinity, nutrient deficiency, fertilizers, heavy metals, and pesticides is reviewed. These major stress factors suppress the growth and symbiotic characteristics of most rhizobia; however, several strains, distributed among various species of rhizobia, are tolerant to stress effects. Some strains of rhizobia form effective (N(2)-fixing) symbioses with their host legumes under salt, heat, and acid stresses, and can sometimes do so under the effect of heavy metals. Reclamation and improvement of the fertility of arid lands by application of organic (manure and sewage sludge) and inorganic (synthetic) fertilizers are expensive and can be a source of pollution. The Rhizobium-legume (herb or tree) symbiosis is suggested to be the ideal solution to the improvement of soil fertility and the rehabilitation of arid lands and is an important direction for future research.

Identification and characterization of a novel Bradyrhizobium japonicum gene involved in host-specific nitrogen fixation

To understand the genetic mechanism of host specificity in the interaction between rhizobia and their hosts, it is important to identify genes that influence both early and late steps in symbiotic development. This paper focuses on the little-understood genetics of host-specific nitrogen fixation. A deletion mutant of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, strain NAD163, was found to induce effective, nitrogen-fixing nodules on soybean and siratro plants but produced ineffective nodules on cowpea plants. Additional transposon and deletion mutants defined a small region that conferred this phenotype, and this region was sequenced to identify two putative open reading frames (ORFs). Data indicate that only one of these ORFs is detectable in bacteroids. This ORF was termed hsfA, with a predicted protein product of 11 kDa. The transcriptional start site of hsfA was determined and found to coincide with a predicted RpoN-dependent promoter. Microscopic studies of nodules induced by the wild type and hsfA mutants on cowpea and soybean plants indicate that the cowpea mutant nodules are slow to develop. The data indicate that hsfA appears to play a crucial role in bacteroid development on cowpea but does not appear to be essential for nitrogen fixation on the other hosts tested.

Cellular compartmentation of ureide biogenesis in root nodules of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.)

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) nodules have been investigated by means of cytochemical and immunocytochemical procedures at the ultrastructural level in order to assess the role of the uninfected cells in ureide biogenesis. Uricase activity in the nodules was shown by cytochemical methods to be localized exclusively in the numberous large peroxisomes confined to the uninfected cells; the small peroxisomes in the infected cells did not stain for uricase. Uricase was also localized in the peroxisomes of uninfected cells by immunogold techniques employing polyclonal antibodies against nodule-specific uricase of soybean. There was no labeling above background of any structures in the infected cells. The results indicate that the uninfected cells are essential for ureide biogenesis in cowpea. Although tubular endoplasmic reticulum, the presumptive site of allantoinase, increases greatly in the uninfected cells during nodule development, it virtually disappears as the nodules mature. The inconsistency between the disappearance of the tubular endoplasmic reticulum from older nodules and the high allantoinase activity reported for older plants remains to be explained.

Isolation and characterization of symbiotic mutants of bradyrhizobium sp. (Arachis) strain NC92: mutants with host-specific defects in nodulation and nitrogen fixation

Random transposon Tn5 mutagenesis of Bradyrhizobium sp. (Arachis) strain NC92, a member of the cowpea cross-inoculation group, was carried out, and kanamycin-resistant transconjugants were tested for their symbiotic phenotype on three host plants: groundnut, siratro, and pigeonpea. Two nodulation (Nod- phenotype) mutants were isolated. One is unable to nodulate all three hosts and appears to contain an insertion in one of the common nodulation genes (nodABCD); the other is a host-specific nodulation mutant that fails to nodulate pigeonpea, elicits uninvaded nodules on siratro, and elicits normal, nitrogen-fixing nodules on groundnut. In addition, nine mutants defective in nitrogen fixation (Fix- phenotype) were isolated. Three fail to supply symbiotically fixed nitrogen to all three host plants. Surprisingly, nodules elicited by one of these mutants exhibit high levels of acetylene reduction activity, demonstrating the presence of the enzyme nitrogenase. Three more mutants have partially effective phenotypes (Fix +/-) in symbiosis with all three host plants. The remaining three mutants fail to supply fixed nitrogen to one of the host plants tested while remaining partially or fully effective on the other two hosts; two of these mutants are Fix- in pigeonpea and Fix +/- on groundnut and on siratro, whereas the other one is Fix- on groundnut but Fix+ on siratro and on pigeonpea. These latter mutants also retain significant nodule acetylene reduction activity, even in the ineffective symbioses. Such bacterial host-specific fixation (Hsf) mutants have not previously been reported.

Nitrogen nutrition and the development of biochemical functions associated with nitrogen fixation and ammonia assimilation of nodules on cowpea seedlings

During early development (up to 18 d after sowing) of nodules of an "effective" cowpea symbiosis (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp cv. Vita 3: Rhizobium strain CB756), rapidly increasing nitrogenase (EC 1.7.99.2) activity and leghaemoglobin content were accompanied by rapid increases in activities of glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2), glutamate synthase (EC 2.6.1.53), enzymes of denovo purine synthesis (forming inosine monophosphate) xanthine oxidoreductase (EC 1.2.3.2), urate oxidase (EC 1.7.3.3), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) and led to increased export of ureides (allantoin and allantoic acid) to the shoot of the host plant in the xylem. Culturing plants with the nodulated root systems maintained in the absence of N2 (in 80 Ar: 20 O2, v/v) had little effect on the rates of induction and increase in nitrogenase activity and leghaemoglobin content but, in the absence of N2 fixation and consequent ammonia production by bacteroids, there was no stimulation of activity of enzymes of ammonia assimilation or of the synthesis of purines or ureides. Addition of NO 3 (-) (0.1-0.2 mM) relieved host-plant nitrogen deficiency caused by the Ar: O2 treatment but failed to increase levels of enzymes of N metabolism in either the bacteroid or the plant-cell fractions of the nodule. Premature senescence in Ar: O2-grown nodules occurred at 18-20 d after sowing, and resulted in reduced levels of nitrogenase activity and leghaemoglobin but increased the activity of hydroxybutyrate oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.30).