Legume plants host nitrogen-fixing endosymbiotic Rhizobium bacteria in root nodules. In Medicago truncatula, the bacteria undergo an irreversible (terminal) differentiation mediated by hitherto unidentified plant factors. We demonstrated that these factors are nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides that are targeted to the bacteria and enter the bacterial membrane and cytosol. Obstruction of NCR transport in the dnf1-1 signal peptidase mutant correlated with the absence of terminal bacterial differentiation. On the contrary, ectopic expression of NCRs in legumes devoid of NCRs or challenge of cultured rhizobia with peptides provoked symptoms of terminal differentiation. Because NCRs resemble antimicrobial peptides, our findings reveal a previously unknown innovation of the host plant, which adopts effectors of the innate immune system for symbiosis to manipulate the cell fate of endosymbiotic bacteria.

The study evaluated the response of pea (Pisum sativum cv. Avola) to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) species Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae, strain D 293, regarding the growth, photosynthesis, nodulation and nitrogen fixation activity. Pea plants were grown in a glasshouse until the flowering stage (35 days), in 4 kg plastic pots using leached cinnamonic forest soil (Chromic Luvisols -FAO) at P levels 13.2 (P1) and 39.8 (P2) mg P/kg soil. The obtained results demonstrated that the dual inoculation of pea plants significantly increased the plant biomass, photosynthetic rate, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation activity in comparison with single inoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae strain D 293. On the other hand, coinoculation significantly increased the total phosphorus content in plant tissue, acid phosphatase activity and percentage of root colonization. The effectiveness of coinoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum and Glomus mosseae was higher at the low phosphorus level while the coinoculation with Glomus intraradices appeared to be the most effective at higher phosphorus level.

Abstract:In eukaryotes, F-box proteins are one of the main components of the SCF complex that belongs to the family of ubiquitin E3 ligases, which catalyze protein ubiquitination and maintain the balance between protein synthesis and degradation. In the present study, we clarified the role and function of the gene encoding cyclin-like F-box protein from Medicago truncatula using transgenic plants of the model species M. truncatula, Lotus japonicas, and Arabidopsis thaliana generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Morphological and transcriptional analyses combined with flow cytometry and histochemistry demonstrated the participation of this protein in many aspects of plant growth and development, including processes of indirect somatic embryogenesis and symbiotic nodulation. The cyclin-like F-box gene showed expression in all plant organs and tissues comprised of actively dividing cells. The observed variations in root and hypocotyl growth, leaf and silique development, ploidy levels, and leaf parameters in the obtained transgenic lines demonstrated the effects of this gene on organ development. Furthermore, knockdown of cyclin-like F-box led to accumulation of higher levels of the G2/M transition-specific gene cyclin B1:1 (CYCB1:1), suggesting its possible role in cell cycle control. Together, the collected data suggest a similar role of the cyclin-like F-box protein in the three model species, providing evidence for the functional conservation of the studied gene.

In eukaryotes, histone acetyltransferases regulate the acetylation of histones and transcription factors, affecting chromatin structural organization, transcriptional regulation, and gene activation. To assess the role of HAC1, a gene encoding for a histone acetyltransferase in Medicago truncatula, stable transgenic lines with modified HAC1 expression in the model plants M. truncatula, Lotus japonicus, and Arabidopsis thaliana were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and used for functional analyses. Histochemical, transcriptional, flow cytometric, and morphological analyses demonstrated the involvement of HAC1 in plant growth and development, responses to internal stimuli, and cell cycle progression. Expression patterns of a reporter gene encoding beta-glucuronidase (GUS) fused to the HAC1 promoter sequence were associated with young tissues comprised of actively dividing cells in different plant organs. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) signal, driven by the HAC1 promoter, was detected in the nuclei and cytoplasm of root cells. Transgenic lines with HAC1 overexpression and knockdown showed a wide range of phenotypic deviations and developmental abnormalities, which provided lines of evidence for the role of HAC1 in plant development. Synchronization of A. thaliana root tips in a line with HAC1 knockdown showed the involvement of this gene in the acetylation of two core histones during S phase of the plant cell cycle.

An important consideration for milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) cultivation is regulating development to lengthen the reproductive stage and increase seed yield with high silymarin content. The treatment of milk thistle with foliar fertilizers and growth regulators-thidiazuron (Dropp w ), 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (Tiba w ), mepiquat chloride (Pix w ), and prohexadione-Ca (Regalis w )-resulted in an increase in the proportion of mature flower heads. Highest seed yield was observed in plants treated with Pix w and mineral soil fertilization, whereas in plants treated with foliar fertilizers, highest yields were observed with Pix w and Regalis w . The highest content of silymarin was found in plants treated with Dropp w and foliar fertilizer. Generally, treatment of milk thistle with plant-growth regulators in combination with soil or foliar mineral fertilizers increased the total amount of silymarin by increasing seed yield per hectare.