Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Transforming, Genome Editing and Phenotyping the Nitrogen-fixing Tropical Cannabaceae Tree Parasponia andersonii
Published on: August 18, 2019
Phylogenomics reveals multiple losses of nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis
Maximilian Griesmann1,2, Yue Chang3,4, Xin Liu3,4
1Faculty of Biology, Genetics, LMU Munich, Großhaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Abstract:
The root nodule symbiosis of plants with nitrogen-fixing bacteria affects global nitrogen cycles and food production but is restricted to a subset of genera within a single clade of flowering plants. To explore the genetic basis for this scattered occurrence, we sequenced the genomes of 10 plant species covering the diversity of nodule morphotypes, bacterial symbionts, and infection strategies. In a genome-wide comparative analysis of a total of 37 plant species, we discovered signatures of multiple independent loss-of-function events in the indispensable symbiotic regulator NODULE INCEPTION in 10 of 13 genomes of nonnodulating species within this clade. The discovery that multiple independent losses shaped the present-day distribution of nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis in plants reveals a phylogenetically wider distribution in evolutionary history and a so-far-underestimated selection pressure against this symbiosis.
More Related Videos
07:53Author Spotlight: Advancing 3D Modeling for Enhanced Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules in Early-Stage Lung Cancer
Published on: October 13, 2023
09:59MALDI-Mass Spectrometric Imaging for the Investigation of Metabolites in Medicago truncatula Root Nodules
Published on: March 5, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Symbiosis
The Nitrogen Cycle
Line Loss
Line loss impacts power delivery efficiency in a balanced three-phase circuit. The symmetry in such a circuit simplifies the...
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Reducing Line Loss
With a step-up transformer at the source, the voltage is increased, thereby reducing the current in the transmission lines since power loss in...