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GENOMICS

The genome that fuelled a Mexican scientific revolution

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 23, pages 322–323 (2022)Cite this article

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Life on Earth is precious, and incredibly resourceful. There are a few crucial biochemical adaptations that allowed early organisms to survive by taking advantage of their surroundings. These include photosynthesis, cellular respiration and nitrogen fixation.

Nitrogen fixation can be performed by some free-living and symbiotic prokaryotes, among which Rhizobium etli is one of the most notable. This bacterium can infect the roots of the common bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris), forming a symbiotic relationship through which it obtains carbohydrates in exchange for a usable nitrogen source. Its importance lies in the fact that R. etli is a key P. vulgaris symbiont in several centres of bean domestication in Latin America, where beans are a staple food. But how did R. etli evolve to acquire these abilities, and how does it manage to establish this symbiosis? How does it cope with a constantly changing environment? By sequencing the full R. etli genome, a team of Mexican scientists was able to reveal this bacterium’s secrets and get closer to the answers.

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References

Original article

  • González, V. et al. The partitioned Rhizobium etli genome: genetic and metabolic redundancy in seven interacting replicons. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 103, 3834–3839 (2006)

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Related article

  • Simpson, A. J. G. et al. The genome sequence of the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa. Nature 406, 151–157 (2000)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Queretaro, Mexico

    Carla Daniela Robles-Espinoza

  2. Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK

    Carla Daniela Robles-Espinoza

Authors
  1. Carla Daniela Robles-Espinoza
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Correspondence to Carla Daniela Robles-Espinoza.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Robles-Espinoza, C.D. The genome that fuelled a Mexican scientific revolution. Nat Rev Genet 23, 322–323 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-022-00472-x

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