title: Are common symbiosis genes required for endophytic rice-rhizobial interactions?
abstract: Legume plants are able to establish root nodule symbioses with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, called rhizobia. Recent studies revealed that the root nodule symbiosis has co-opted the signaling pathway that mediates the ancestral mycorrhizal symbiosis that occurs in most land plants. Despite being unable to induce nodulation, rhizobia have been shown to be able to infect and colonize the roots of non-legumes such as rice. One fascinating question is whether establishment of such associations requires the common symbiosis (Sym) genes that are essential for infection of plant cells by mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobia in legumes. Here, we demonstrated that the common Sym genes are not required for endophytic colonization of rice roots by nitrogen-fixing rhizobia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Caiyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D060026:Endophytes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D012275:Oryza / Q000382:microbiology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins
keywords: common symbiosis genes; legume; nitrogen fixation; rhizobia; rice