Survey of genes identified in Sinorhizobium meliloti spp., necessaryfor the development of an efficient symbiosis

The symbiosis between the soil bacteria Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Azorhizobium, Mesorhizobium or Bradyrhizobium and leguminous plants is characterised by a specific multistep signal exchange. Only when a compatible rhizobial strain encounters its leguminous host, nodules will be formed on the roots of the host. During infection of this nodule, the microsymbiont evolves into a bacteroid form which, when provided with plant-derived carbon sources, is able to convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia that subsequently is supplied to the plant. The developmental programme underlying nodule organogenesis and functioning has been studied intensively for several decades. In this review, several observed plant phenotypes resulting from an ineffective symbiosis between plants and mutant rhizobial strains are represented. Besides the influence of the bacterial nodulation, nitrogen fixation and surface polysaccharide genes on symbiosis, the role of other genes important for the formation of effective nitrogen fixing nodules will be explained.