Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Plant Promoter Analysis: Identification and Characterization of Root Nodule Specific Promoter in the Common Bean
Published on: December 23, 2017
R gene-controlled host specificity in the legume-rhizobia symbiosis
Shengming Yang1, Fang Tang, Muqiang Gao
1Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
Abstract:
Leguminous plants can enter into root nodule symbioses with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria known as rhizobia. An intriguing but still poorly understood property of the symbiosis is its host specificity, which is controlled at multiple levels involving both rhizobial and host genes. It is widely believed that the host specificity is determined by specific recognition of bacterially derived Nod factors by the cognate host receptor(s). Here we describe the positional cloning of two soybean genes Rj2 and Rfg1 that restrict nodulation with specific strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Sinorhizobium fredii, respectively. We show that Rj2 and Rfg1 are allelic genes encoding a member of the Toll-interleukin receptor/nucleotide-binding site/leucine-rich repeat (TIR-NBS-LRR) class of plant resistance (R) proteins. The involvement of host R genes in the control of genotype-specific infection and nodulation reveals a common recognition mechanism underlying symbiotic and pathogenic host-bacteria interactions and suggests the existence of their cognate avirulence genes derived from rhizobia. This study suggests that establishment of a root nodule symbiosis requires the evasion of plant immune responses triggered by rhizobial effectors.
More Related Videos
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
10:27Functional Characterization of RING-Type E3 Ubiquitin Ligases In Vitro and In Planta
Published on: December 5, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Microbe-Plant Interactions
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Cell Signaling in Plants
Gene Regulation During Sporulation
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition