Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Adherence of Bacteria to Plant Surfaces Measured in the Laboratory
Published on: June 19, 2018
Cell surface interactions of Rhizobium bacteroids and other bacterial strains with symbiosomal and peribacteroid
Luis Bolaños1, Miguel Redondo-Nieto, Rafael Rivilla
1Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049-Madrid, Spain. luis.bolarios@uam.es
Abstract:
Samples of Rhizobium bacteroids isolated from pea nodule symbiosomes reacted positively with a monoclonal antibody recognizing N-linked glycan epitopes on plant glycoproteins associated with the peribacteroid membrane and peribacteroid fluid. An antiserum recognizing the symbiosomal lectin-like glycoprotein PsNLEC-1 also reacted positively. Samples of isolated bacteroids also reacted with an antibody recognizing a glycolipid component of the peribacteroid membrane and plasma membrane. Bacterial cells derived from free-living cultures then were immobilized on nitrocellulose sheets and tested for their ability to associate with components of plant extracts derived from nodule fractionation. A positive antibody-staining reaction indicated that both PsNLEC-1 and membrane glycolipid had become associated with the bacterial surface. A range of rhizobial strains with mutants affecting cell surface polysaccharides all showed similar interactions with PsNLEC-1 and associated plant membranes, with the exception of strain B659 (a deep-rough lipopolysaccharide mutant of Rhizobium leguminosarum). However, the presence of a capsule of extracellular polysaccharide apparently prevented interactions between rhizobial cells and these plant components. The importance of a close association between peribacteroid membranes, PsNLEC-1, and the bacterial surface is discussed in the context of symbiosome development.
More Related Videos
11:16A Hydroponic Co-cultivation System for Simultaneous and Systematic Analysis of Plant/Microbe Molecular Interactions and Signaling
Published on: July 22, 2017
20:01Single-plant, Sterile Microcosms for Nodulation and Growth of the Legume Plant Medicago truncatula with the Rhizobial Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti
Published on: October 1, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Phylum Proteobacteria
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Cell Signaling in Plants
Bacterial Signaling
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
Prokaryotic Cells
Like eukaryotic cells, all prokaryotic cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane, have genetic material in the form of single, circular DNA, a cytoplasm that fills the interior of the cell, and ribosomes that synthesize...