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Root nodule bacteria isolated from South African Lotononis bainesii, L. listii and L. solitudinis are species of Methylobacterium that are unable to utilize methanol

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Abstract

The South African legumes Lotononis bainesii, L. listii and L. solitudinis are specifically nodulated by highly effective, pink-pigmented bacteria that are most closely related to Methylobacterium nodulans on the basis of 16S rRNA gene homology. Methylobacterium spp. are characterized by their ability to utilize methanol and other C1 compounds, but 11 Lotononis isolates neither grew on methanol as a sole carbon source nor were able to metabolize it. No product was obtained for PCR amplification of mxaF, the gene encoding the large subunit of methanol dehydrogenase. Searches for methylotrophy genes in the sequenced genome of Methylobacterium sp. 4-46, isolated from L. bainesii, indicate that the inability to utilize methanol may be due to the absence of the mxa operon. While methylotrophy appears to contribute to the effectiveness of the Crotalaria/M. nodulans symbiosis, our results indicate that the ability to utilize methanol is not a factor in the Lotononis/Methylobacterium symbiosis.

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Acknowledgments

J.A. is the recipient of a Murdoch University Research Scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Rhizobium Studies, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia

    Julie Kaye Ardley, Graham W. O’Hara, Wayne G. Reeve, Ron J. Yates, Michael J. Dilworth, Ravi P. Tiwari & John G. Howieson

  2. Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA, 6151, Australia

    Ron J. Yates & John G. Howieson

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  1. Julie Kaye Ardley
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Correspondence to Julie Kaye Ardley.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Ardley, J.K., O’Hara, G.W., Reeve, W.G. et al. Root nodule bacteria isolated from South African Lotononis bainesii, L. listii and L. solitudinis are species of Methylobacterium that are unable to utilize methanol. Arch Microbiol 191, 311–318 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-009-0456-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-009-0456-0

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