Chemotaxis of Rhizobium meliloti to the plant flavone luteolin requires functional nodulation genes

Luteolin is a phenolic compound from plants that acts as a potent and specific inducer of nodABC gene expression in Rhizobium meliloti. We have found that R. meliloti RCR2011 exhibits positive chemotaxis towards luteolin. A maximum chemotactic response was observed at 10-8M. Two closely related flav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Bacteriology 1988-07, Vol.170 (7), p.3164-3169
Main Authors: Caetano-Anolles, G, Crist-Estes, D.K, Bauer, W.D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Biology of microorganisms of confirmed or potential industrial interest
Biotechnology
Chamomile
Chemotaxis
Economic plant physiology
Fabaceae
Flavanones
FLAVONOIDE
FLAVONOIDES
Flavonoids - pharmacology
FORMATION DE NODOSITES
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
GENE
Gene Expression Regulation
GENES
Genes, Bacterial
Genetics
Kinetics
Luteolin
Microbiology
Mission oriented research
Motility, taxis
NODULACION
Oils, Volatile - pharmacology
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Plants, Medicinal
RHIZOBIUM
Rhizobium - genetics
Rhizobium - physiology
Rhizobium meliloti
Symbiosis
Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...)
TAXIE
TAXIS
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Summary:Luteolin is a phenolic compound from plants that acts as a potent and specific inducer of nodABC gene expression in Rhizobium meliloti. We have found that R. meliloti RCR2011 exhibits positive chemotaxis towards luteolin. A maximum chemotactic response was observed at 10-8M. Two closely related flavonoids, naringenin and apigenin, were not chemoattractants. The presence of naringenin but not apigenin abolished chemotaxis of R. meliloti towards luteolin. A large deletion in the nif-nod region of the symbiotic megaplasmid eliminated all chemotactic response to luteolin but did not affect general chemotaxis, as indicated by swarm size on semisoft agar plates and chemotaxis towards proline in capillary tubes. Transposon Tn5 mutations in nodD, nodA, or nodC selectively abolished the chemotactic response of R. meliloti to luteolin. Agrobacterium tumefaciens GMI9050, a derivative of the C58 wild type lacking a Ti plasmid, responded chemotactically to 10-8M luteolin. The introduction of a 290-kilobase nif-nod-containing sequence of DNA from R. meliloti into A. tumefaciens GMI9050 enabled the recipient to respond to luteolin at concentrations speaking at 10-6M as well as at concentrations peaking at 10-8M. The response of A. tumefaciens GMI9050 to luteolin was also abolished by the presence of naringenin
ISSN:0021-9193
1098-5530
1067-8832
DOI:10.1128/jb.170.7.3164-3169.1988