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Major flavonoids in uninoculated and inoculated roots of Vicia sativa subsp. nigra are four conjugates of the nodulation gene-inhibitor kaempferol

Plant Molecular Biology volume 18, pages 505–513 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

Inoculation of Vicia sativa subsp. nigra (V. sativa) roots with Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar. viciae (R.l. viciae) bacteria substantially increases the ability of V. sativa to induce rhizobial nodulation (nod) genes. This increase is caused by the additional release of flavanones and chalcones which all induce the nod genes of R.l. viciae (K. Recourt et al., Plant Mol Biol 16: 841–852). In this paper, we describe the analyses of the flavonoids present in roots of V. sativa. Independent of inoculation with R.l. viciae, these roots contain four 3-O-glycosides of the flavonol kaempferol. These flavonoids appeared not capable of inducing the nod genes of R.l. viciae but instead are moderately active in inhibiting the activated state of those nod genes. Roots of 7-day-old V. sativa seedlings did not show any kaempferol-glycosidase activity consistent with the observation that kaempferol is not released upon inoculation with R.l. viciae. It is therefore most likely that inoculation with infective (nodulating) R.l. viciae bacteria results in de novo flavonoid biosynthesis and not in liberation of flavonoids from a pre-existing pool.

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Author notes

  1. Kees Recourt

    Present address: Agrotechnological Research Institute, ATO-DLO, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA, Wageningen, Netherlands

Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Molecular Biology, Leiden University, Nonnensteeg 3, 2311 VJ, Leiden, Netherlands

    Kees Recourt, Marc Verkerke, Anton A. N. van Brussel, Ben J. J. Lugtenberg & Jan W. Kijne

  2. Center for Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacognosy, Leiden University, Gorlaeus Laboratories, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, Netherlands

    Jan Schripsema

Authors
  1. Kees Recourt
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  2. Marc Verkerke
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  3. Jan Schripsema
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  4. Anton A. N. van Brussel
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  5. Ben J. J. Lugtenberg
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  6. Jan W. Kijne
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Recourt, K., Verkerke, M., Schripsema, J. et al. Major flavonoids in uninoculated and inoculated roots of Vicia sativa subsp. nigra are four conjugates of the nodulation gene-inhibitor kaempferol. Plant Mol Biol 18, 505–513 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00040666

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00040666

Key words

  • flavonoids
  • inoculation
  • nod gene inhibitors
  • Rhizobium leguminosarum
  • Vicia sativa