title: Genetic characterization of fast-growing rhizobia able to nodulate Prosopis alba in North Spain.
abstract: Prosopis is a Mimosaceae legume tree indigenous to South America and not naturalized in Europe. In this work 18 rhizobial strains nodulating Prosopis alba roots were isolated from a soil in North Spain that belong to eight different randomly amplified polymorphic DNA groups phylogenetically related to Sinorhizobium medicae, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium giardinii according to their intergenic spacer and 16S rRNA gene sequences. The nodC genes of isolates close to S. medicae and S. meliloti were identical to those of S. medicae USDA 1,037(T) and S. meliloti LMG 6,133(T) and accordingly all these strains were able to nodulate both alfalfa and Prosopis. These nodC genes were phylogenetically divergent from those of the isolates close to R. giardinii that were identical to that of R. giardinii H152(T) and therefore all these strains formed nodules in common beans and Prosopis. The nodC genes of the strains isolated in Spain were phylogenetically divergent from that carried by Mesorhizobium chacoense Pr-5(T) and Sinorhizobium arboris LMG 1,4919(T) nodulating Prosopis in America and Africa, respectively. Therefore, Prosopis is a promiscuous host which can establish symbiosis with strains carrying very divergent nodC genes and this promiscuity may be an important advantage for this legume tree to be used in reforestation.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Fraile
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abril
authors.forename: Pedro F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Mateos
authors.forename: Eustoquio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinez-Molina
authors.forename: Encarna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Velázquez
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D029862:Prosopis / Q000382:microbiology; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D020579:Sinorhizobium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; C060771:NodC protein, Rhizobiales