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Journal of Bacteriology, January 2001, p. 214-220, Vol. 183, No. 1
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.1.214-220.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Methylotrophic Methylobacterium Bacteria Nodulate and Fix Nitrogen in Symbiosis with Legumes

Abdoulaye Sy,1 Eric Giraud,1 Philippe Jourand,1 Nelly Garcia,1 Anne Willems,2 Philippe de Lajudie,1 Yves Prin,1 Marc Neyra,1 Monique Gillis,2 Catherine Boivin-Masson,1,* and Bernard Dreyfus1

LSTM, UMR 113 IRD/INRA/AGRO-M/CIRAD, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France,1 and Laboratorium voor Microbiologie, Universiteit Gent, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium2

Received 30 June 2000/Accepted 3 October 2000

Rhizobia described so far belong to three distinct phylogenetic branches within the alpha -2 subclass of Proteobacteria. Here we report the discovery of a fourth rhizobial branch involving bacteria of the Methylobacterium genus. Rhizobia isolated from Crotalaria legumes were assigned to a new species, "Methylobacterium nodulans," within the Methylobacterium genus on the basis of 16S ribosomal DNA analyses. We demonstrated that these rhizobia facultatively grow on methanol, which is a characteristic of Methylobacterium spp. but a unique feature among rhizobia. Genes encoding two key enzymes of methylotrophy and nodulation, the mxaF gene, encoding the alpha  subunit of the methanol dehydrogenase, and the nodA gene, encoding an acyltransferase involved in Nod factor biosynthesis, were sequenced for the type strain, ORS2060. Plant tests and nodA amplification assays showed that "M. nodulans" is the only nodulating Methylobacterium sp. identified so far. Phylogenetic sequence analysis showed that "M. nodulans" NodA is closely related to Bradyrhizobium NodA, suggesting that this gene was acquired by horizontal gene transfer.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: LSTM, TA 10/J, Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Phone: (33) 467 593 824. Fax: (33) 467 593 802. E-mail: Catherine.Boivin{at}mpl.ird.fr.

Journal of Bacteriology, January 2001, p. 214-220, Vol. 183, No. 1
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.1.214-220.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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