Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules
In most legume nodules, the di-nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>)-fixing rhizobia are present as organelle-like structures inside their root host cells. Many processes operate and interact within the symbiotic relationship between plants and nodules, including nitrogen (N)/carbon (C) metabolisms,...
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doaj-935e1833282148e49af28b1760ee70d72020-11-25T01:25:44ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472019-09-018933310.3390/plants8090333plants8090333Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root NodulesAndrés R. Schwember0Joachim Schulze1Alejandro del Pozo2Ricardo A. Cabeza3Departamento de Ciencias Vegetales, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 306-22, ChileDepartment of Crop Science, Section for Plant Nutrition and Crop Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Goettingen, Carl-Sprengel-Weg 1, 37075 Goettingen, GermanyCentro de Mejoramiento Genético y Fenómica Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, ChileDepartamento de Producción Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Talca, Campus Talca, Talca 3460000, ChileIn most legume nodules, the di-nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>)-fixing rhizobia are present as organelle-like structures inside their root host cells. Many processes operate and interact within the symbiotic relationship between plants and nodules, including nitrogen (N)/carbon (C) metabolisms, oxygen flow through nodules, oxidative stress, and phosphorous (P) levels. These processes, which influence the regulation of N<sub>2</sub> fixation and are finely tuned on a whole-plant basis, are extensively reviewed in this paper. The carbonic anhydrase (CA)-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC)-malate dehydrogenase (MDH) is a key pathway inside nodules involved in this regulation, and malate seems to play a crucial role in many aspects of symbiotic N<sub>2</sub> fixation control. How legumes specifically sense N-status and how this stimulates all of the regulatory factors are key issues for understanding N<sub>2</sub> fixation regulation on a whole-plant basis. This must be thoroughly studied in the future since there is no unifying theory that explains all of the aspects involved in regulating N<sub>2</sub> fixation rates to date. Finally, high-throughput functional genomics and molecular tools (i.e., miRNAs) are currently very valuable for the identification of many regulatory elements that are good candidates for accurately dissecting the particular N<sub>2</sub> fixation control mechanisms associated with physiological responses to abiotic stresses. In combination with existing information, utilizing these abundant genetic molecular tools will enable us to identify the specific mechanisms underlying the regulation of N<sub>2</sub> fixation.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/8/9/333nitrogen fixation regulationlegume nodulecarbon metabolismnitrogen metabolismoxygen supply |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Andrés R. Schwember Joachim Schulze Alejandro del Pozo Ricardo A. Cabeza |
spellingShingle |
Andrés R. Schwember Joachim Schulze Alejandro del Pozo Ricardo A. Cabeza Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules Plants nitrogen fixation regulation legume nodule carbon metabolism nitrogen metabolism oxygen supply |
author_facet |
Andrés R. Schwember Joachim Schulze Alejandro del Pozo Ricardo A. Cabeza |
author_sort |
Andrés R. Schwember |
title |
Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules |
title_short |
Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules |
title_full |
Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules |
title_fullStr |
Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules |
title_full_unstemmed |
Regulation of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legume Root Nodules |
title_sort |
regulation of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legume root nodules |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Plants |
issn |
2223-7747 |
publishDate |
2019-09-01 |
description |
In most legume nodules, the di-nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>)-fixing rhizobia are present as organelle-like structures inside their root host cells. Many processes operate and interact within the symbiotic relationship between plants and nodules, including nitrogen (N)/carbon (C) metabolisms, oxygen flow through nodules, oxidative stress, and phosphorous (P) levels. These processes, which influence the regulation of N<sub>2</sub> fixation and are finely tuned on a whole-plant basis, are extensively reviewed in this paper. The carbonic anhydrase (CA)-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC)-malate dehydrogenase (MDH) is a key pathway inside nodules involved in this regulation, and malate seems to play a crucial role in many aspects of symbiotic N<sub>2</sub> fixation control. How legumes specifically sense N-status and how this stimulates all of the regulatory factors are key issues for understanding N<sub>2</sub> fixation regulation on a whole-plant basis. This must be thoroughly studied in the future since there is no unifying theory that explains all of the aspects involved in regulating N<sub>2</sub> fixation rates to date. Finally, high-throughput functional genomics and molecular tools (i.e., miRNAs) are currently very valuable for the identification of many regulatory elements that are good candidates for accurately dissecting the particular N<sub>2</sub> fixation control mechanisms associated with physiological responses to abiotic stresses. In combination with existing information, utilizing these abundant genetic molecular tools will enable us to identify the specific mechanisms underlying the regulation of N<sub>2</sub> fixation. |
topic |
nitrogen fixation regulation legume nodule carbon metabolism nitrogen metabolism oxygen supply |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/8/9/333 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT andresrschwember regulationofsymbioticnitrogenfixationinlegumerootnodules AT joachimschulze regulationofsymbioticnitrogenfixationinlegumerootnodules AT alejandrodelpozo regulationofsymbioticnitrogenfixationinlegumerootnodules AT ricardoacabeza regulationofsymbioticnitrogenfixationinlegumerootnodules |
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