Bacteroid formation in the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis.
During the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis, bacteria enter the cells of host plants and differentiate into nitrogen-fixing bacteroids. Recent mutant screens and expression studies have revealed bacterial genes involved in the developmental pathway and demonstrate how the genetic requirements can vary from one host-microbe system to another. Whether bacteroids are terminally differentiated cells is an ongoing debate and new experimental systems are required to address this issue.
Oke
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Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. voke+@pitt.edu
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D007887:Fabaceae / Q000382:microbiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D013559:Symbiosis