title: Endemic Mimosa species from Mexico prefer alphaproteobacterial rhizobial symbionts.
abstract: The legume genus Mimosa has > 500 species, with two major centres of diversity, Brazil (c. 350 spp.) and Mexico (c. 100 spp.). In Brazil most species are nodulated by Burkholderia. Here we asked whether this is also true of native and endemic Mexican species. We have tested this apparent affinity for betaproteobacteria by examining the symbionts of native and endemic species of Mimosa in Mexico, especially from the central highlands where Mimosa spp. have diversified. Nodules were tested for betaproteobacteria using in situ immunolocalization. Rhizobia isolated from the nodules were genetically characterized and tested for their ability to nodulate Mimosa spp. Immunological analysis of 25 host taxa suggested that most (including all the highland endemics) were not nodulated by betaproteobacteria. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA, recA, nodA, nodC and nifH genes from 87 strains isolated from 20 taxa confirmed that the endemic Mexican Mimosa species favoured alphaproteobacteria in the genera Rhizobium and Ensifer: this was confirmed by nodulation tests. Host phylogeny, geographic isolation and coevolution with symbionts derived from very different soils have potentially contributed to the striking difference in the choice of symbiotic partners by Mexican and Brazilian Mimosa species.
authors.affiliation: Dynamique des Génomes et Adaptation Microbienne, Université de Lorraine, UMR1128, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54506, France.|Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bontemps
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 565A, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rogel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiechmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Assel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mussabekova
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moody
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, 70770-901, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR IPME (Interactions Plant-Microbes-Environment), Centre IRD France Sud, 911 Avenue Agropolis, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moulin
authors.affiliation: The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK.
authors.forename: Geoffrey N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: Dynamique des Génomes et Adaptation Microbienne, Université de Lorraine, UMR1128, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54506, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lacercat-Didier
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR IPME (Interactions Plant-Microbes-Environment), Centre IRD France Sud, 911 Avenue Agropolis, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dasilva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-535, 09340, México City, DF, México.
authors.forename: Rosaura
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grether
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-535, 09340, México City, DF, México.
authors.forename: Sara L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Camargo-Ricalde
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at JHI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK.
authors.forename: Janet I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Sprent
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 565A, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-Romero
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: J Peter W
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK.
authors.forename: Euan K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D058507:Host Specificity; D008800:Mexico; D031298:Mimosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D055170:Plant Root Nodulation; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins
keywords: Burkholderia; Ensifer; Mimosa; Rhizobium; legume nodulation; nitrogen (N) fixation