Archives of Microbiology

, Volume 192, Issue 5, pp 341–350 | Cite as

Insight into the evolutionary history of symbiotic genes of Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia deriving from Poland and Japan

  • Bożena Mierzwa
  • Sylwia Wdowiak-Wróbel
  • Michał Kalita
  • Sebastian Gnat
  • Wanda Małek
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

The phylogeny of symbiotic genes of Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) rhizobia derived from Poland and Japan was studied by comparative sequence analysis of nodA, nodC, nodH, and nifH loci. In phylogenetic trees, black locust symbionts formed a branch of their own suggesting that the spread and maintenance of symbiotic genes within Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia occurred through vertical transmission. There was 99–100% sequence similarity for nodA genes of Robinia pseudoacacia nodulators, 97–98% for nodC, and 97–100% for nodH and nifH loci. A considerable sequence conservation of sym genes shows that the symbiotic apparatus of Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia might have evolved under strong host plant constraints. In the nodA and nodC gene phylograms, Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia grouped with Phaseolus sp. symbionts, although they were not closely related to our isolates based on 16S rRNA genes, and with Mesorhizobium amorphae. nifH gene phylogeny of our isolates followed the evolutionary history of 16S rDNA and Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia grouped with Mesorhizobium genus species. Nodulation assays revealed that Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia effectively nodulated their native host and also Amorpha fruticosa and Amorpha californica resulting in a significant enhancement of plant growth. The black locust root nodules are shown to be of indeterminate type.

Keywords

Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia Phylogeny of sym genes Nodule structure 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education No N303 057 32/1922. We also thank Ewa Znojek for expert technical assistance in microscopic studies.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  • Bożena Mierzwa
    • 1
  • Sylwia Wdowiak-Wróbel
    • 1
  • Michał Kalita
    • 1
  • Sebastian Gnat
    • 1
  • Wanda Małek
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Genetics and MicrobiologyM. Curie-Skłodowska UniversityLublinPoland

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