Abstract
Medicago truncatula has all the characteristics required for a concerted analysis of nitrogen-fixing symbiosis withRhizobium using the tools of molecular biology, cellular biology and genetics.M. truncatula is a diploid and autogamous plant has a relatively small genome, and preliminary molecular analysis suggests that allelic heterozygosity is minimal compared with the cross-fertilising tetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa). TheM. truncatula cultivar Jemalong is nodulated by theRhizobium meliloti strain 2011, which has already served to define many of the bacterial genes involved in symbiosis with alfalfa. A genotype of Jemalong has been identified which can be regenerated after transformation byAgrobacterium, thus allowing the analysis ofin-vitro-modified genes in an homologous transgenic system. Finally, by virtue of the diploid, self-fertilising and genetically homogeneous character ofM. truncatula, it should be relatively straightforward to screen for recessive mutations in symbiotic genes, to carry out genetic analysis, and to construct an RFLP map for this plant.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- RFLP:
-
restriction fragment length polymorphism
References
Agarwal, K. and P.K. Gupta, 1983. Cytological studies in the genusMedicago Linn. Cytologia 48:781–793.
Amor, R.L. 1965. Barrel medic (Medicago tribuloïdes Desr.) in the Australian wheat belt. J. Aust. Inst. Agric. Sci. 31:25–35.
Barker, D.G., P. Gallusci, V. Lullien, H. Khan, M. Ghérardi and T. Huguet. 1988. Identification of two groups of leghemoglobin genes in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and a study of their expression during root nodule development. Plant Mol. Biol. 11:761–772.
Bennett, M.D. and J.B. Smith. 1976. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. 274:224–274.
Bennett, M.D., J.B. Smith and J.S. Heslop-Harrison. 1982. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms. Proc. R. Soc. London B 216:179–199.
Bonierbale, M.W., R.L. Plaisted and S.D. Tanksley. 1988. RFLP maps based on a common set of clones reveal modes of chromosomal evolution in potato and tomato. Genetics 120:1095–1103.
Crawford, E.J., A.W.H. Lake and K.G. Boyce. 1989. Breeding annualMedicago species for semi-arid conditions in Southern Australia. Adv. Agron. 42:399–437.
Deak, M., G.B. Kiss, C. Koncz and D. Dudits. 1986. Transformation ofMedicago byAgrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. Plant Cell Rep. 5:97–100.
Delauney, A.J. and D.P.S. Verma. 1988. Cloned nodulin genes for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Plant Mol. Biol. Rep. 6:279–285.
Essad, S. 1987. Sur la relation prossible d'une unité de variation saltatoire de l'ADN nucléaire, le nucléon, et des chromosomes B dans le genreMedicago L. C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 305 série III:307–310.
Essad S. 1988. Mise en évidence de variations saltatoire de l'ADN nucléaire dans et entre les espèces du genreMedicago L. Genome 30:825–834.
Franssen, H.J., J-P. Nap, T. Cloudemans, W. Stiekema, H. van Dam, F. Govers, J. Louwerse, A. van Kammen and T. Bisseling. 1987. Characterisation of cDNA for nodulin-75 of soybean: A gene product involved in early stages of root nodule development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:4495–4499.
Gresshoff, P.M., D.A. Day, A.C. Delves, A.P. Mathews, J.E. Olsson, G. Dean Price, K.A. Schuller and B.J. Carroll 1986. Plant host genetics of nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in pea and soybean. In:Nitrogen Fixation Research Progress. (eds. H.J. Evans, P.J. Bottomley, W.E. Newton), pp 19–25, Nijhoff, Amsterdam.
Jorgensen, J.E., J. Stougaard, A. Marcker, and K.A. Marcker. 1988. Root nodule specific gene regulation: Analysis of the soybean nodulin N23 gene promoter in heterologous symbiotic systems. Nucl. Acids Res. 16:39–50.
Lesins, K.A. and I. Lesins. 1979. GenusMedicago (Leguminosae): A taxogenetic study. Dr. W. Junk, The Hague.
Long, S.R. 1989.Rhizobium-legume nodulation: Life together in the underground. Cell 56:203–214.
Lullien, V., D.G. Barker, P. de Lajudie and T. Huguet. 1987. Plant gene expression in effective and ineffective root nodules of alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Plant Mol. Biol. 9:469–478.
Meyerowitz, E.M. and R.E. Pruitt. 1985.Arabidopsis thaliana and plant molecular genetics. Science 229:1214–1218.
Nolan, K.E., R.J. Rose and J.R. Gorst. 1989. Regeneration ofMedicago truncatula from tissue culture: Increased somatic embryogenesis using explants from regenerated plants. Plant Cell Rep. 8:278–281.
Petit, A., J. Stougaard, A. Kühle, K.A. Marcker and J. Tempé. 1987. Transformation and regeneration of the legumeLotus corniculatus: A system for molecular studies of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Mol. Gen. Genet. 207:245–250.
Rosenberg, C., P. Boistard, J. Dénarié, F. Casse-Delbart. 1981. Genes controlling early and late functions in symbiosis are located on a megaplasmid inRhizobium meliloti. Mol. Gen. Genet. 184:326–333.
Spano, L., D. Mariotti, M. Pezzotti, F. Damiani and S. Arcioni. 1987. Hairy root transformation in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Theor. Appl. Genet. 73:523–530.
Sukhapinda, K., R. Spivey and E.A. Shahin. 1987. Ri-plasmid as a helper for introducing vector DNA into alfalfa plants. Plant Mol. Biol. 8:209–216.
Verma, D.P.S. and K. Nadler. 1984. Legume-Rhizobium symbiosis: Host's point of view. In:Genes Involved in Microbe-Plant Interactions. Plant Gene Research Vol.1. (eds D.P.S. Verma and T. Hohn), pp 57–93 Springer-Verlag Wien New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barker, D.G., Bianchi, S., Blondon, F. et al. Medicago truncatula, a model plant for studying the molecular genetics of theRhizobium-legume symbiosis. Plant Mol Biol Rep 8, 40–49 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02668879
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02668879