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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Plant Promoter Analysis: Identification and Characterization of Root Nodule Specific Promoter in the Common Bean
Published on: December 23, 2017
Plant-Environment Response Pathway Regulation Uncovered by Investigating Non-Typical Legume Symbiosis and Nodulation
Helen Wilkinson1, Alice Coppock1, Bethany L Richmond1
1School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Abstract:
Nitrogen is an essential element needed for plants to survive, and legumes are well known to recruit rhizobia to fix atmospheric nitrogen. In this widely studied symbiosis, legumes develop specific structures on the roots to host specific symbionts. This review explores alternate nodule structures and their functions outside of the more widely studied legume-rhizobial symbiosis, as well as discussing other unusual aspects of nodulation. This includes actinorhizal-Frankia, cycad-cyanobacteria, and the non-legume Parasponia andersonii-rhizobia symbioses. Nodules are also not restricted to the roots, either, with examples found within stems and leaves. Recent research has shown that legume-rhizobia nodulation brings a great many other benefits, some direct and some indirect. Rhizobial symbiosis can lead to modifications in other pathways, including the priming of defence responses, and to modulated or enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. With so many avenues to explore, this review discusses recent discoveries and highlights future directions in the study of nodulation.
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