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The impact of salinity on the symbiosis between Casuarina glauca Sieb. ex Spreng. and N2-fixing Frankia bacteria based on the analysis of Nitrogen and Carbon metabolism

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Abstract

Background and aims

Casuarina glauca is an actinorhizal plant that establishes root-nodule symbiosis with N2-fixing bacteria of the genus Frankia. This plant is highly recalcitrant to extreme environmental conditions such as salinity and drought. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of salt stress on the symbiotic relationship between C. glauca and Frankia Thr, focusing on N and C metabolism.

Methods

Symbiotic and non-symbiotic plants were exposed to 0, 200, 400 and 600 mM NaCl. The following analyses were performed: stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope signature; nitrogenase activity in nodules (acetylene reduction assay); and gene expression of a set of genes involved in nodule infection and N/C metabolism (qRT-PCR). Data were analysed using two-way ANOVA.

Results

Salt stress induced an enrichment in δ13C and δ15N, reflecting a negative impact of salt in the relative water content and N2 fixation, respectively. Furthermore, nitrogenase activity in nodules was insignificant already at 200 mM NaCl, consistent with the expression patterns of nifH as well as of plant genes involved in nodule induction and metabolism.

Conclusions

The ability of C. glauca to thrive under highly saline environments is not dependent on the symbiosis with Frankia.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the scope of the project PTDC/AGR-FOR/4218/2012 and grant SFRH/BPD/78619/2011 (P. Batista-Santos). The authors acknowledge Paula Alves for technical assistance.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Plant Stress & Biodiversity Group, Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Av. República, Quinta do Marquês, 2784-505, Oeiras, Portugal

      Nuno Duro, Paula Batista-Santos, Mário da Costa, José C. Ramalho & Ana Ribeiro-Barros

    2. Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal

      Nuno Duro, Mário da Costa & Ana Ribeiro-Barros

    3. Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

      Rodrigo Maia, Margarida Ramos & Cristina Máguas

    4. Unidade Estratégica de Investigação dos Sistemas Agrários e Florestais e de Sanidade Vegetal, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P., Quinta do Marquês, Av. República, Nova Oeiras, 2784-159, Oeiras, Portugal

      Isabel V. Castro

    5. BioGeoTec, Fac. Ciências Tecnologia, Univ. Nova Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

      José C. Ramalho & Ana Ribeiro-Barros

    6. Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

      Katharina Pawlowski

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    1. Nuno Duro
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    Correspondence to Ana Ribeiro-Barros.

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    Responsible Editor: Timothy J. Flowers.

    Nuno Duro and Paula Batista-Santos contributed equally to this work.

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    Duro, N., Batista-Santos, P., da Costa, M. et al. The impact of salinity on the symbiosis between Casuarina glauca Sieb. ex Spreng. and N2-fixing Frankia bacteria based on the analysis of Nitrogen and Carbon metabolism. Plant Soil 398, 327–337 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2666-3

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