Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Paper
  • Published:

Enzymatic Treatment of Clover Root Hairs Removes a Barrier to Rhizobium-Host Specificity

Bio/Technology volume 5, pages 1319–1322 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

It is well established that Rhizobium loti and Rhizobium 101/u nodulate Lotus species but not Trifolium repens. We report that a barrier to this specificity can be removed by enzymatically degrading the cell wall at the apices of root hairs of Trifolium repens using a cellulase-pectolyase enzyme mixture and inoculation with R. loti or Rhizobium 101/u in the presence of polyethylene glycol. This treatment enables R. loti to induce the formation of nitrogen fixing nodules on Trifolium repens, and indicates the cell wall at root hair apices as a target site for the genetic manipulation of Rhizobium symbiotic associations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Vincent, J.M., Nutman, P.S. and Skinner, F.A. 1979. The identification and classification of Rhizobium, p. 49–69. In: Identification Methods for Microbiologists. F.A. Skinner and D.W. Lovelock (eds.), Academic Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Broughton, W.J. 1978. Control of specificity in legume-Rhizobium associations. J. Appl. Bact. 45: 165–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Beringer, J.E. 1978. Rhizobium recognition. Nature 271: 206–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Cocking, E.C. 1985. Protoplasts from root hairs of crop plants. Bio/Technology 3: 1104–1106.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Jarvis, B.D.W., Pankhurst, C.E. and Patel, J.J. 1982. Rhizobium loti, a new species of legume root nodule bacteria. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 32: 378–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Allen, O.N. and Hamatova, E. 1973. World Catalogue of Rhizobium Collections. IBP Central Office, 7 Marylebone Road, London, U.K.

  7. Bauer, W.D. 1981. Infection of legumes by rhizobia. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 32: 407–449.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Callaham, D.A. and Torrey, J.G. 1981. The structural basis for infection of root hairs of Trifolium repens by Rhizobium. Can. J. Bot. 59: 1647–1664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Verma, D.P.S., Zogbi, V. and Bal, A.K. 1978. A co-operative action of plant and Rhizobium to dissolve the host cell wall during development of root nodule symbiosis. Plant Sci. Lett. 13: 137–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Davey, M.R. and Power, J.B. 1975. Polyethylene glycol-induced uptake of micro-organisms into higher plant protoplasts: an ultra-structural study. Plant Sci. Lett. 5: 269–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Spaink, H.P., Wijffelman, C.A., Pees, E., Okker, R.J.H. and Lugtenberg, B.J.J. 1987. Rhizobium nodulation gene nodD as a determinant of host specificity. Nature 328: 337–340.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Firmin, J.L., Wilson, K.E., Rossen, L. and Johnston, A.W.B. 1986. Flavanoid activation of nodulation genes in Rhizobium reversed by other compounds present in plants. Nature 324: 90–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hutchinson, J. 1964. The Genera of Flowering Plants. Dicotyledones, Vol. 1 Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Plazinski, J., Innes, R.W. and Rolfe, B.G. 1985. Expression of Rhizobium trifolii early nodulation genes on maize and rice plants. J. Bact. 163: 812–815.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Ausubel, F.M. 1982. Molecular genetics of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Cell 29: 1–2.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Nutman, P.S. 1981. Hereditary host factors affecting nodulation and nitrogen fixation, p. 194–204. In: Current Perspectives in Nitrogen Fixation. A.H. Gibson and W.E. Newton (eds.). Elsevier, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Skotnicki, M.L. and Rolfe, B.G. 1979. Bacterial and bacteroid properties of mutants of Rhizobium trifolii strain T1 uncoupled in oxidative phosphorylation. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 32: 501–517.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Vincent, J.M. 1970. A manual for the practical study of root nodule bacteria. IBP Handbook 15. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.

  19. Fåhraeus, G. 1957. The infection of clover root hairs by nodule bacteria studied by a simple glass slide technique. J. Gen. Microbiol. 16: 374–381.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Rolfe, B.G., Gresshoff, P.M. and Shine, J. 1980. Rapid screening for symbiotic mutants of Rhizobium and white clover. Plant Sci. Lett. 19: 277–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Scott, D.B. and Ronson, C.W. 1982. Identification and mobilization by cointegrate formation of a nodulation plasmid in Rhizobium trifolii. J. Bact. 151: 36–43.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Spurr, A.R. 1969. A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 26: 31–43.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Reynolds, E.S. 1963. The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron opaque stain in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 17: 208–212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Witty, J.F. 1979. Acetylene reduction assay can overestimate nitrogen-fixation in soil. Soil Biol. Biochem. 11: 209–210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Wacek, T.J. and Brill, W.J. 1976. Simple, rapid assay for screening nitrogen-fixing ability in soybean. Crop Sci. 16: 519–523.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Genetic Manipulation Group, Department of Botany, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, U.K.

    Mozahim K. Al-Mallah, Michael R. Davey & Edward C. Cocking

Authors
  1. Mozahim K. Al-Mallah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael R. Davey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Edward C. Cocking
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Al-Mallah, M., Davey, M. & Cocking, E. Enzymatic Treatment of Clover Root Hairs Removes a Barrier to Rhizobium-Host Specificity. Nat Biotechnol 5, 1319–1322 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1287-1319

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1287-1319

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing