Molecular characterization of nitrogen fixing microsymbionts from root nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, a native legume from the Thar Desert of India

Indu Singh Sankhla; Nisha Tak; Raju Ram Meghwal; Sunil Choudhary; Alkesh Tak; Sonam Rathi; Janet I. Sprent; Euan K. James; Hukam Singh Gehlot

doi:10.1007/s11104-016-2838-9

Molecular characterization of nitrogen fixing microsymbionts from root nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, a native legume from the Thar Desert of India

Indu Singh Sankhla, Nisha Tak, Raju Ram Meghwal, Sunil Choudhary, Alkesh Tak, Sonam Rathi, Janet I. Sprent, Euan K. James (Lead / Corresponding author), Hukam Singh Gehlot (Lead / Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aims: To describe the structure of nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, and to characterise the rhizobia that occupy them.

Methods: Light and electron microscopy were used to analyse nodules. Rhizobia were characterised using their 16S rRNA, housekeeping and symbiosis-related gene sequences.

Results: Nodules of V. jacquemontii were typical of all other described mimosoid legumes. All 73 of the isolates were strains of Ensifer, and concatenated phylogenetic analysis of their housekeeping genes (rrs, recA, atpD, glnII and dnaK) suggested that they are novel, forming separate lineages close to E. saheli. The phylogenies of the symbiosis-essential genes nodA and nifH were inconsistent with the housekeeping phylogenies. The nodA sequences of most isolates were close to that of E. arboris HAMBI 1552^T, but the nifH gene was found to be related to that of E. kostiensis HAMBI 1489^T. All the tested Ensifer strains, except for AJ24, were found to be capable of nodulating other species of Vachellia as well as native Indian Mimosa and Prosopis spp.

Conclusions: Stressful conditions caused by the alkaline soil of the Thar Desert have resulted in V. jacquemontii being nodulated by diverse and promiscuous Ensifer species that are capable of nodulating other native members of the tribe Mimoseae.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	21-40
Number of pages	20
Journal	Plant and Soil
Volume	410
Issue number	1
Early online date	29 Feb 2016
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2838-9
Publication status	Published - Jan 2017

Keywords

Ensifer
Multi Locus Sequence Analysis (MLSA)
nifH
nodA
rhizobia
Thar Desert
Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Soil Science
Plant Science

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@article{2e8a8364e6094818a273973e831a04ae,

title = "Molecular characterization of nitrogen fixing microsymbionts from root nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, a native legume from the Thar Desert of India",

abstract = "Aims: To describe the structure of nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, and to characterise the rhizobia that occupy them. Methods: Light and electron microscopy were used to analyse nodules. Rhizobia were characterised using their 16S rRNA, housekeeping and symbiosis-related gene sequences. Results: Nodules of V. jacquemontii were typical of all other described mimosoid legumes. All 73 of the isolates were strains of Ensifer, and concatenated phylogenetic analysis of their housekeeping genes (rrs, recA, atpD, glnII and dnaK) suggested that they are novel, forming separate lineages close to E. saheli. The phylogenies of the symbiosis-essential genes nodA and nifH were inconsistent with the housekeeping phylogenies. The nodA sequences of most isolates were close to that of E. arboris HAMBI 1552T, but the nifH gene was found to be related to that of E. kostiensis HAMBI 1489T. All the tested Ensifer strains, except for AJ24, were found to be capable of nodulating other species of Vachellia as well as native Indian Mimosa and Prosopis spp. Conclusions: Stressful conditions caused by the alkaline soil of the Thar Desert have resulted in V. jacquemontii being nodulated by diverse and promiscuous Ensifer species that are capable of nodulating other native members of the tribe Mimoseae.",

keywords = "Ensifer, Multi Locus Sequence Analysis (MLSA), nifH, nodA, rhizobia, Thar Desert, Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii",

author = "Sankhla, {Indu Singh} and Nisha Tak and Meghwal, {Raju Ram} and Sunil Choudhary and Alkesh Tak and Sonam Rathi and Sprent, {Janet I.} and James, {Euan K.} and Gehlot, {Hukam Singh}",

note = "Indu S. Sankhla thanks the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, for a junior and senior research fellowship. The work is also supported by grants from the Department of Biotechnology Govt. of India (BT/PR11461/AGR/21/270/2008) and the University Grants Commission (UGC-SAPII-CAS-I, UGC-BSR Start-Up-Grant F.30-16/2014).",

year = "2017",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1007/s11104-016-2838-9",

language = "English",

volume = "410",

pages = "21--40",

journal = "Plant and Soil",

issn = "0032-079X",

publisher = "Springer Verlag",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Molecular characterization of nitrogen fixing microsymbionts from root nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, a native legume from the Thar Desert of India

AU - Sankhla, Indu Singh

AU - Tak, Nisha

AU - Meghwal, Raju Ram

AU - Choudhary, Sunil

AU - Tak, Alkesh

AU - Rathi, Sonam

AU - Sprent, Janet I.

AU - James, Euan K.

AU - Gehlot, Hukam Singh

N1 - Indu S. Sankhla thanks the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, for a junior and senior research fellowship. The work is also supported by grants from the Department of Biotechnology Govt. of India (BT/PR11461/AGR/21/270/2008) and the University Grants Commission (UGC-SAPII-CAS-I, UGC-BSR Start-Up-Grant F.30-16/2014).

PY - 2017/1

Y1 - 2017/1

N2 - Aims: To describe the structure of nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, and to characterise the rhizobia that occupy them. Methods: Light and electron microscopy were used to analyse nodules. Rhizobia were characterised using their 16S rRNA, housekeeping and symbiosis-related gene sequences. Results: Nodules of V. jacquemontii were typical of all other described mimosoid legumes. All 73 of the isolates were strains of Ensifer, and concatenated phylogenetic analysis of their housekeeping genes (rrs, recA, atpD, glnII and dnaK) suggested that they are novel, forming separate lineages close to E. saheli. The phylogenies of the symbiosis-essential genes nodA and nifH were inconsistent with the housekeeping phylogenies. The nodA sequences of most isolates were close to that of E. arboris HAMBI 1552T, but the nifH gene was found to be related to that of E. kostiensis HAMBI 1489T. All the tested Ensifer strains, except for AJ24, were found to be capable of nodulating other species of Vachellia as well as native Indian Mimosa and Prosopis spp. Conclusions: Stressful conditions caused by the alkaline soil of the Thar Desert have resulted in V. jacquemontii being nodulated by diverse and promiscuous Ensifer species that are capable of nodulating other native members of the tribe Mimoseae.

AB - Aims: To describe the structure of nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, and to characterise the rhizobia that occupy them. Methods: Light and electron microscopy were used to analyse nodules. Rhizobia were characterised using their 16S rRNA, housekeeping and symbiosis-related gene sequences. Results: Nodules of V. jacquemontii were typical of all other described mimosoid legumes. All 73 of the isolates were strains of Ensifer, and concatenated phylogenetic analysis of their housekeeping genes (rrs, recA, atpD, glnII and dnaK) suggested that they are novel, forming separate lineages close to E. saheli. The phylogenies of the symbiosis-essential genes nodA and nifH were inconsistent with the housekeeping phylogenies. The nodA sequences of most isolates were close to that of E. arboris HAMBI 1552T, but the nifH gene was found to be related to that of E. kostiensis HAMBI 1489T. All the tested Ensifer strains, except for AJ24, were found to be capable of nodulating other species of Vachellia as well as native Indian Mimosa and Prosopis spp. Conclusions: Stressful conditions caused by the alkaline soil of the Thar Desert have resulted in V. jacquemontii being nodulated by diverse and promiscuous Ensifer species that are capable of nodulating other native members of the tribe Mimoseae.

KW - Ensifer

KW - Multi Locus Sequence Analysis (MLSA)

KW - nifH

KW - nodA

KW - rhizobia

KW - Thar Desert

KW - Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii

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U2 - 10.1007/s11104-016-2838-9

DO - 10.1007/s11104-016-2838-9

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84975687551

SN - 0032-079X

VL - 410

SP - 21

EP - 40

JO - Plant and Soil

JF - Plant and Soil

IS - 1

ER -

Molecular characterization of nitrogen fixing microsymbionts from root nodules of Vachellia (Acacia) jacquemontii, a native legume from the Thar Desert of India

Abstract

Keywords

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