Rhizobial extrachromosomal replicon variability, stability and expression in natural niches

Martha G. López-Guerrero, Ernesto Ormeño-Orrillo, José Luis Acosta, Alfredo Mendoza-Vargas, Marco A. Rogel, Miguel Angel Ramírez, Mónica Rosenblueth, Julio Martínez-Romero, Esperanza Martínez-Romero

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

67 Scopus citations

Abstract

In bacteria, niche adaptation may be determined by mobile extrachromosomal elements. A remarkable characteristic of Rhizobium and Ensifer (Sinorhizobium) but also of Agrobacterium species is that almost half of the genome is contained in several large extrachromosomal replicons (ERs). They encode a plethora of functions, some of them required for bacterial survival, niche adaptation, plasmid transfer or stability. In spite of this, plasmid loss is common in rhizobia upon subculturing. Rhizobial gene-expression studies in plant rhizospheres with novel results from transcriptomic analysis of Rhizobium phaseoli in maize and Phaseolus vulgaris roots highlight the role of ERs in natural niches and allowed the identification of common extrachromosomal genes expressed in association with plant rootlets and the replicons involved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)149-158
Number of pages10
JournalPlasmid
Volume68
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Ensifer
  • Plasmid instability
  • Plasmids
  • Rhizobium
  • Sinorhizobium
  • Symbiotic plasmids

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