This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Caetano-Anollés, G Articles by Bauer, W D Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Caetano-Anollés, G Articles by Bauer, W D

research-article

Chemotaxis of Rhizobium meliloti to the plant flavone luteolin requires functional nodulation genes.

Department of Agronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.

ABSTRACT

Luteolin is a phenolic compound from plants that acts as a potent and specific inducer of nodABC gene expression in Rhizobium meliloti. We have found that R. meliloti RCR2011 exhibits positive chemotaxis towards luteolin. A maximum chemotactic response was observed at 10(-8) M. Two closely related flavonoids, naringenin and apigenin, were not chemoattractants. The presence of naringenin but not apigenin abolished chemotaxis of R. meliloti towards luteolin. A large deletion in the nif-nod region of the symbiotic megaplasmid eliminated all chemotactic response to luteolin but did not affect general chemotaxis, as indicated by swarm size on semisoft agar plates and chemotaxis towards proline in capillary tubes. Transposon Tn5 mutations in nodD, nodA, or nodC selectively abolished the chemotactic response of R. meliloti to luteolin. Agrobacterium tumefaciens GMI9050, a derivative of the C58 wild type lacking a Ti plasmid, responded chemotactically to 10(-8) M luteolin. The introduction of a 290-kilobase nif-nod-containing sequence of DNA from R. meliloti into A. tumefaciens GMI9050 enabled the recipient to respond to luteolin at concentrations peaking at 10(-6) M as well as at concentrations peaking at 10(-8) M. The response of A. tumefaciens GMI9050 to luteolin was also abolished by the presence of naringenin.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Perrine-Walker, F. M., Prayitno, J., Rolfe, B. G., Weinman, J. J., Hocart, C. H. (2007). Infection process and the interaction of rice roots with rhizobia. J Exp Bot 0: erm181v1-erm181 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Yao, J., Allen, C. (2006). Chemotaxis Is Required for Virulence and Competitive Fitness of the Bacterial Wilt Pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 3697-3708 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Brencic, A., Winans, S. C. (2005). Detection of and Response to Signals Involved in Host-Microbe Interactions by Plant-Associated Bacteria. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 69: 155-194 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lux, R., Shi, W. (2004). CHEMOTAXIS-GUIDED MOVEMENTS IN BACTERIA. Crit. Rev. Oral Biol. Med. 15: 207-220 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Patriarca, E. J., Tate, R., Iaccarino, M. (2002). Key Role of Bacterial NH4+ Metabolism in Rhizobium-Plant Symbiosis. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 66: 203-222 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wei, X., Bauer, W. D. (1998). Starvation-Induced Changes in Motility, Chemotaxis, and Flagellation of Rhizobium meliloti. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 1708-1714 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• von Ropenack, E., Parr, A., Schulze-Lefert, P. (1998). Structural Analyses and Dynamics of Soluble and Cell Wall-bound Phenolics in a Broad Spectrum Resistance to the Powdery Mildew Fungus in Barley. J. Biol. Chem. 273: 9013-9022 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nap, J.-P., Bisseling, T. (1990). Developmental Biology of a Plant-Prokaryote Symbiosis: The Legume Root Nodule. Science 250: 948-954 [Abstract]