Stem-Nodulating Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterium Isolated from Sesbania Rostrata
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INTERNATIONALJOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICBACTERIOLOGY, Jan. 1988, p. 89-98 Vol. 38, No. 1 0020-7713/88/010089-10$02 .OO/O Copyright 0 1988, International Union of Microbiological Societies Characterization of Azorhizobium caulinodans gen. nov. sp. nov., a Stem-Nodulating Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterium Isolated from Sesbania rostrata B. DREYFUS,1*2*J. L. GARCIA,3 AND M. GILLIS4 Laboratoire de Biologie des Sols, O.R.S.T.O.M.,B.P. 1386, Dakar, Senegal’; Laboratorium voor Genetica, Rijksuniversiteit, Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium2; Laboratoire de Microbiologie, O.R.S.T.O.M., Universite‘ de Provence, 13331 Marseille Cedex, France3; and Laboratorium voor Microbiologie en Microbiele Genetica, Ruksuniversiteit, B-9000 Gent, Belgium4 Twenty stem- and root-nodulating bacterial strains isolated from stem nodules of Sesbania rostrata were compared by numerical analysis of 221 phenotypic features with nine strains which effectively nodulate only the roots of this plant and with representative strains from the genera Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium. Representative organisms from the different clusters were investigated further, together with possibly related organisms, by performing comparative gel electrophoresis of whole-cell proteins and by performing deoxyri- bonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA and DNA-ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) hybridizations. 3H-labeledrRNA was prepared from Sesbunia stem- and root-nodulating bacterial strain ORS 571T (T = type strain); [14C]rRNA from Bradyrhizobium japonicum NZP 5549T was also used. The following conclusions were drawn: (i) the Sesbania root-nodulating bacterial strains are genuine rhizobia; (ii) the Sesbania stem- and root-nodulating strains are quite different from Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium, and thus they constitute a separate rRNA subbranch on the Rhodopseudomonas palusfris rRNA branch in rRNA superfamily IV; and (iii) the closest relative of these organisms is Xanthobacfer, but they are phenotypically and genotypically sufficiently different from the latter genus to deserve a separate generic rank. Because the feature of free-living nitrogen fixation is quite discriminative, a new genus, Azorhizobium, is proposed, with one species, Azorhizobium caulinodans. The type strain is strain ORS 571 (= LMG 6465). Bacteria which form nitrogen-fixing nodules on legumi- to belong to the Rhodopseudomonas palustris rRNA branch nous plants are currently divided into two genera, Rhizo- and consequently to be a relative of the latter taxon and of bium and Bradyrhizobium (17). The genus Rhizobium com- Bradyrhizobium, although it does not belong in either of prises four species, Rhizobium leguminosarum, Rhizobium these taxa. meliloti, Rhizobium loti, and Rhizobium fredii. The species To determine the exact taxonomic position of this new Rhizobium leguminosarum regroups three former species, group of N,-fixing , nodulating organisms, we analyzed a Rhizobium trifolii, Rhizobium phaseoli, and Rhizobium le- collection of root- and stem-nodulating strains from S. guminosarum. All species of the genus Rhizobium are fast- rostrata from different geographical areas and compared growing bacteria. The genus Bradyrhizobium comprises one them with Sesbania root-nodulating strains and strains of well-defined species, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, and in- Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium. These investigations in- cludes all of the bacteria previously referred to as slow- cluded a numerical analysis of phenotypic features, compar- growing rhizobia. ative protein gel electrophoresis, and DNA-DNA and DNA- Nitrogen-fixing nodules are usually found on the roots of rRNA hybridizations. the host leguminous plants. Only some legume species The results of this work led to a proposal for a new genus belonging to the genera Neptunia, Aeschynomene, and Ses- for the S. rostrata root- and stem-nodulating bacteria, Azo- bania bear nodules on both roots and stems (9). Recently, rhizobium, which we describe here; this genus contains one Dreyfus et al. (8) found that the tropical legume Sesbania species, Azorhizobium caulinodans. Below we use the latter rostrata was actually associated with the two types of strains name. described below. (i) Some strains are similar to strain ORS 571T (T = type strain), which fixes atmospheric N2 in culture MATERIALS AND METHODS and grows at the expense of this fixed N,; they always Bacterial strains. The bacterial strains which we studied nodulate both roots and stems of S. rostrata (10, 13). They are listed in Table 1. The purity of the cultures was assured are usually cited in the literature as “the Sesbania stem- by repeated use of single-colony isolates, and the identities nodulating strains.” We did not find such N,-fixing strains in of the nodulating strains were checked by plant infection stem nodules from Neptunia and Aeschynomene (B. tests on their original host plants. A total of 21 stem- and Dreyfus, unpublished data). (ii) Some strains do not fix N, in root-nodulating strains (Azorhizobium) were isolated from culture and generally nodulate the roots of S. rostrata only. stem nodules of S. rostrata growing in different regions of Recent results based on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)- Senegal and Madagascar by using standard procedures (29). ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) hybridizations (16) in- Eleven root-nodulating strains (Rhizobium) of S. rostrata dicate that two representative Sesbania root-nodulating were originally isolated from root nodules of S. rostrata, strains belong to the genus Rhizobium. On the other hand, Sesbania pachycarpa, Sesbania cannabina, and Sesbania stem- and root-nodulating strain ORS 571T has been shown grandflora. Fourteen Rhizobium strains were isolated from nodules of Acacia sp. and Leucaena sp. All of these isolates * Corresponding author. (except strains ORS 590, ORS 609, and ORS 611) were 89 90 DREYFUS ET AL. INT. J. SYST.BACTERIOL. - TABLE 1. Strain designations, origins, and comments Strain(s)' Originb Received from'? Comments - Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS 571' S. rostrata, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates roots and stems of (= LMG 6465T), ORS 553, ORS 555, S. rostrata ORS 556, ORS 557, ORS 559, ORS 560, ORS 561, ORS 562, ORS 563, ORS 564, ORS 565, ORS 567, ORS 569, ORS 570, ORS 574, ORS 576, and ORS 577 A zorhizobium caulinodans ORS 590 S. rostrata, from Senegal I. Ndoye Nodulates roots and stems of S. rostrata A.zorhizobium caulinodans ORS 591 and S. rostrata, from Madagascar R. Fettiarisson Nodulates roots and stems of ORS 592 S. rostrata hlhizobium sp. strain ORS 22 (= LMG S. rostrata, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates only roots of 6463) S. rostrata Rhizobium sp. strain ORS 51 S. rostrata, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates roots and forms (= LMG 6464) pseudonodules on stems of S. rostrata Rhizobium sp. strains ORS 52 and ORS 53 S. rostrata, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates only roots of S. rostrata hthizobium sp. strain ORS 507 S. pachycarpa, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates roots and forms pseudonodules on stems of S. rostrata hlhizobium sp. strains ORS 508, ORS 509, S. pachycarpa, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates only roots of ORS 510, and ORS 511 S. rostrata Rhizobium sp. strain ORS 609 S. cannabina, from Senegal I. Ndoye Nodulates roots and stems of S. rostrata Rhizobium sp. strain ORS 611 S. grandifora, from Senegal Our isolate Nodulates roots and stems of S. rostrata hthizobium sp. strains ORS 901, ORS 902, Acacia senegal, from Senegal Our isolate ORS 903, ORS 906, and ORS 909 hlhizobium sp. strains ORS 904, ORS 905, Leucaena leucocephala, from Senegal Our isolate ORS 915, and ORS 916 h!hizobium sp. strain ORS 907 Acacia raddiana, from Senegal Our isolate hlhizobium sp. strains ORS 908 Acacia bivenosa , from Senegal Our isolate and ORS 910 Rhizobium sp. strains ORS 911 Acacia farnesiana, from Senegal Our isolate and ORS 912 Rhizobium meliloti B56, B57, and R29 Medicago sativa, from United States E. L. Schmidt Klhizobium meliloti R30 Medicago sativa, from Colombia CIAT h!hizobium meliloti LMG 6130 Medicago sativa, from New Zealand B. D. W. Jarvis (= NZP 4009) Klhizobium leguminosarum B62 and B63 Pisum sativum, from United States E. L. Schmidt Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 135 Glycine rnax, from United States USDA and USDA 138 Bradyrhizobium japonicum IITA 114, Glycine max, from Nigeria IITA IITA 101, and IITA 35 Bradyrhizobium japonicum LMG 6138' Glycine rnax, from New Zealand B. D. W. Jarvis (= NZP 5549') b!radyrhizobium sp. strains NZP 2314 Lotus pendiculatus, from New Zealand B. D. W. Jarvis and NZP 2309 Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS 801 Acacia holosericea, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS 802 Acacia sieberiana, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS 803 Acacia bivenosa, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS 806 Leucaena leucocephala, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS 809 Acacia albida, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strains ORS 401, ORS Glycine max cv. Malayan, from Senegal Our isolate 403, and ORS 407 Bradyrhizobium sp. strain NIG 2 Glycine rnax cv. Malayan, from Senegal IITA Bradyrhizobium sp. strain GJ Glycine javanica, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS 301 Aeschynomene afraspera, from Senegal Our isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain CB 756 Macrotylama africanum, from Zimbabwe CSIRO h!hodopseudomonas viridis DSM 135 DSM hlhodopseudomonas acidophila GD14 N. Pfennig hlhodopseudomonas acidophila ATCC ATCC 25092T Xanthobacter autotrophicus LMG 7043' DSM (= DSM 432') and LMG 7044 (= DSM 1393) Xanthobacterflavus LMG 7045' (= DSM DSM 338') B'eijerinckia