title: Diverse novel mesorhizobia nodulate New Zealand native Sophora species.
abstract: Forty eight rhizobial isolates from New Zealand (NZ) native Sophora spp. growing in natural ecosystems were characterised. Thirty eight isolates across five groups showed greatest similarity to Mesorhizobium ciceri LMG 14989(T) with respect to their 16S rRNA and concatenated recA, glnll and rpoB sequences. Seven isolates had a 16S rRNA sequence identical to M. amorphae ATCC 19665(T) but showed greatest similarity to M. septentrionale LMG 23930(T) on their concatenated recA, glnll and rpoB sequences. All isolates grouped closely together for their nifH, nodA and nodC sequences, clearly separate from all other rhizobia in the GenBank database. None of the type strains closest to the Sophora isolates based on 16S rRNA sequence similarity nodulated Sophora microphylla but they all nodulated their original host. Twenty one Sophora isolates selected from the different 16S rRNA groupings produced N2-fixing nodules on three Sophora spp. but none nodulated any host of the type strains for the related species. DNA hybridisations indicated that these isolates belong to novel Mesorhizobium spp. that nodulate NZ native Sophora species.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Heng Wee
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Allan Herbarium, Landcare Research, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Heenan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rhizobium Studies, Murdoch University, Murdoch 6150, WA, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sofie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: De Meyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand. Electronic address: Mitchell.andrews@lincoln.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Mitchell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D059128:Mesorhizobium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009520:New Zealand; D010802:Phylogeny; D055170:Plant Root Nodulation; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D011938:Rec A Recombinases / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D029909:Sophora / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D011938:Rec A Recombinases; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C105078:RNA polymerase beta subunit; C083818:glutamine synthetase 2; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase
keywords: Mesorhizobium; Phylogeny; Sophora; Symbiosis genes