title: Cupriavidus necator isolates are able to fix nitrogen in symbiosis with different legume species.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to identify a collection of 35 Cupriavidus isolates at the species level and to examine their capacity to nodulate and fix N(2). These isolates were previously obtained from the root nodules of two promiscuous trap species, Phaseolus vulgaris and Leucaena leucocephala, inoculated with soil samples collected near Sesbania virgata plants growing in Minas Gerais (Brazil) pastures. Phenotypic and genotypic methods applied for this study were SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins, and 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequencing. To confirm the ability to nodulate and fix N(2), the presence of the nodC and nifH genes was also determined, and an experiment was carried out with two representative isolates in order to authenticate them as legume nodule symbionts. All 35 isolates belonged to the betaproteobacterium Cupriavidus necator, they possessed the nodC and nifH genes, and two representative isolates were able to nodulate five different promiscuous legume species: Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia, L. leucocephala, Macroptilium atropurpureum, P. vulgaris and Vigna unguiculata. This is the first study to demonstrate that C. necator can nodulate legume species.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. krisle00@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Krisle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Ligiane Aparecida
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Florentino
authors.forename: Karina Barroso
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Evie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Brandt
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vandamme
authors.forename: Fatima Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: de Souza Moreira
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D020562:Betaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D001938:Brazil; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D020118:Cupriavidus necator / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D027081:DNA Gyrase / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / Q000235:genetics; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D053204:Root Nodules, Plant; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D020543:Proteome; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C029130:nitrogenase reductase; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; C060771:NodC protein, Rhizobiales; D027081:DNA Gyrase