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Single-plant, Sterile Microcosms for Nodulation and Growth of the Legume Plant Medicago truncatula with the Rhizobial Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti
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Microevolution, speciation and macroevolution in rhizobia: Genomic mechanisms and selective patterns.

Nikolay A Provorov1, Evgeny E Andronov1,2, Anastasiia K Kimeklis1,3

  • 1Laboratory of Microbiological Monitoring and Bioremediation of Soils, All-Russian Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology, Pushkin, Russia.

Frontiers in Plant Science
|November 17, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Rhizobia evolution involves distinct mechanisms for microevolution, speciation, and macroevolution. Symbiotic gene diversification drives microevolution, while core gene changes fuel speciation, and gene transfer underlies macroevolutionary events.

Keywords:
evolutionary genomicsleguminous plantsmicro- and macro-evolutionnatural selectionplant–microbe symbiosesrhizobiaspeciationsymbiotic N2 fixation

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Rhizobia (nodule bacteria) are N2-fixing symbionts of legumes, serving as a model for evolutionary studies.
  • Their taxonomic diversity spans multiple alpha- and beta-proteobacteria families.
  • Rhizobial genomes consist of core housekeeping genes (hkg) and symbiotic genes (sym).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the distinct genomic and ecological mechanisms driving microevolution, speciation, and macroevolution in rhizobia.
  • To understand the role of symbiotic (sym) and housekeeping (hkg) genes in rhizobial evolution.
  • To explore the process of macroevolution via horizontal gene transfer of sym genes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on rhizobial genomics and evolutionary biology.
  • Analysis of genomic structures, including multipartite genomes and extrachromosomal replicons.
  • Examination of host-induced natural selection impacts on gene diversification.

Main Results:

  • Microevolution in rhizobia is driven by sym gene diversification under host-induced selection.
  • Speciation involves hkg diversification influenced by unspecified factors.
  • Macroevolution results from polyphyletic origins due to sym gene transfer to other bacteria.

Conclusions:

  • Rhizobial evolution exhibits a complex interplay between gene types and selective pressures.
  • Horizontal transfer of sym genes followed by genetic modifications is crucial for macroevolution.
  • Host-induced selection facilitates the adaptation of new rhizobial species through gene derepression.