title: Diverse bacteria associated with root nodules of spontaneous legumes in Tunisia and first report for nifH-like gene within the genera Microbacterium and Starkeya.
abstract: We characterized 34 endophytic bacterial isolates associated to root nodules collected from spontaneous legumes in the arid zone of Tunisia by 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism, whole cell protein sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), 16S rDNA and 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequencing. Phylogenetically, these isolates belong to the branches containing the genera Inquilinus, Bosea, Rhodopseudomonas, Paracraurococcus, Phyllobacterium, Ochrobactrum, Starkeya, Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Agromyces, Microbacterium, Ornithinicoccus, Bacillus, and Paenibacillus. These strains did not induce any nodule formation when inoculated on the wide host spectrum legume species M. atropurpureum (Siratro) and no nodA gene could be amplified by PCR. However, nifH sequences, most similar to those of Sinorhizobium meliloti, were detected within strains related to the genera Microbacterium, Agromyces, Starkeya and Phyllobacterium.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zakhia
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jeder
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gillis
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dreyfus
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Lajudie
mesh_terms: D019117:Burkholderia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D016946:Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012230:Rhizobiaceae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C029130:nitrogenase reductase