Organisms Commons^™

Genetic And Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Symbiotic Specificity In Legume-Rhizobium Interactions, Qi Wang, Jinge Liu, Hongyan Zhu

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Legumes are able to form a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria called rhizobia. The result of this symbiosis is to form nodules on the plant root, within which the bacteria can convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia that can be used by the plant. Establishment of a successful symbiosis requires the two symbiotic partners to be compatible with each other throughout the process of symbiotic development. However, incompatibility frequently occurs, such that a bacterial strain is unable to nodulate a particular host plant or forms nodules that are incapable of fixing nitrogen. Genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate symbiotic specificity …