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Sugarcane Genetic Controls Involved in the Association with Beneficial Endophytic Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria

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Abstract

Sugarcane is an economically important culture in Brazil, being the world most important source of sugar and ethanol production. Brazilian sugarcane culture is able to obtain large and significant contributions of nitrogen from plant-associated Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF), reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers and leading to an increase in energy balance of the culture. Different populations of endophytic N2-fixing bacteria associated with sugarcane were identified. Besides BNF, these bacteria exhibit growth promoting traits by mechanisms involving nutrient solubilization, plant hormone production and pathogens antagonistic activity. BNF contribution efficiency to sugarcane is controlled by plant and bacteria genotypes as well as environmental conditions. Here, there will be reviewed the advances made in studies on molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms by which sugarcane controls establishment and efficiency of endophytic association. Transcriptome profile analysis indentified several differentially expressed sugarcane genes during early stages of the association. Regulatory networks involved in various plant processes such as plant-microorganism recognition, defense, plant hormone signaling, plant growth and nitrogen metabolism were reported to be responsive to endophytic diazotrophic bacteria colonization. The data indicate that sugarcane actively participates in the association with these bacteria. Comprehension of how various sugarcane regulatory mechanisms are coordinated and connected to genotype and environmental signals, in order to control the establishment of a beneficial and endophytic type of association is still a big challenge. Nevertheless, the knowledge being accumulated may guide studies to improve plant association with endophytic diazotrophic bacteria and, possibly, to extend it to other crops.

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Abbreviations

BNF:

biological nitrogen fixation

PGPB:

plant growth promoting bacteria

PGP:

plant growth promotion

SUCEST:

sugarcane expressed sequence tags

RLK:

receptor like kinase

LRR-RLK:

leucine repeat rich receptor like kinase

NBS-LRR:

nucleotide binding site leucine repeat rich protein

SAR:

systemic acquired resistance

SC:

sugarcane, Saccharum sp.

SCER:

sugarcane ethylene receptor

SCERF:

sugarcane ethylene response factor

scGS:

gluthamine synthetase

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank INCT (Instituto Nacional de Ciência de Tecnologia) in Biological Nitrogen Fixation, FAPERJ (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) and CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for the financial support.

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  1. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Plantas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Thais Louise Gurjão de Carvalho, Paulo Cavalcanti Gomes Ferreira & Adriana S. Hemerly

  2. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Plantas, Av. Brigadeiro Trompowsky s/no. Bl. B sala 33A - Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, CEP 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Adriana S. Hemerly

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  1. Thais Louise Gurjão de Carvalho
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Correspondence to Adriana S. Hemerly.

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Communicated by: Paulo Arruda

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de Carvalho, T.L.G., Ferreira, P.C.G. & Hemerly, A.S. Sugarcane Genetic Controls Involved in the Association with Beneficial Endophytic Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria. Tropical Plant Biol. 4, 31–41 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12042-011-9069-2

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