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Phosphate Limitation Alters Medicago–Sinorhizobium Signaling: Flavonoid Synthesis and AHL Production

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Abstract

The legume plant Medicago truncatula Gaertn. can establish a symbiotic interaction with Sinorhizobium meliloti. One of the most limiting factors for symbiosis is phosphate (P) deficiency. Therefore, legumes and their symbiotic partners, rhizobia, have developed mechanisms to adapt to P restriction. In the non-symbiotic state, plants would up-regulate flavonoid biosynthesis via increasing the expression of chalcone synthase (chs), catalyzing the first step of flavonoid synthesis. Simultaneously, bacterial quorum sensing (QS) pathway can regulate the expression of certain genes involved in symbiotic functions of bacteria in response to P availability as well as bacterial population. Since both flavonoids and QS signaling molecules (N-acyl homoserine lactones, AHL) play important roles in the rhizobia-legume symbiosis, we evaluated these processes in the symbiotic state under different P concentrations and bacterial populations. In this study, by using real-time PCR and HPLC, we showed the expression of pt1 (phosphate transporter 1) and chs as well as luteolin production increased, in a time dependent manner, in plants following P limitation. Nod gene inducing flavonoids can up-regulate the bacterial QS pathway which results in an increase in AHL production, possibly to enhance symbiotic behaviors of rhizobia. It has been estimated that there is a feedback loop from bacterial AHL to flavonoid production pathway in legume plants.

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Abbreviations

AHL:

N-acyl homoserine lactones

B and D:

Broughton and Dilworth

CFU:

colony forming unit

chs:

chalcone synthase

DAI:

days after inoculation

EGFP:

enhanced green fluorescent protein

F:

fluorescence

MOPS:

morpholineethansulfonic acid

OD:

optical density

pt1:

phosphate transporter 1

qRT-PCR:

quantitative real time-PCR

QS:

quorum sensing

TFA:

trifluroacetic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pistachio Research Center, Horticulture Sciences Research Institute, Agriculture Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rafsanjan, Iran

    N. Pakdaman

  2. LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    N. Pakdaman

  3. Department of Biology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

    A. Mostajeran

Authors
  1. N. Pakdaman
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  2. A. Mostajeran
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Correspondence to N. Pakdaman.

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Pakdaman, N., Mostajeran, A. Phosphate Limitation Alters Medicago–Sinorhizobium Signaling: Flavonoid Synthesis and AHL Production. Russ J Plant Physiol 65, 251–259 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443718020176

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443718020176

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