Abstract
Phosphorus is often the limiting nutrient for crop production throughout the world and studies have demonstrated the importance of phosphorus to the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis. However, there is little information about phosphorus acquisition and metabolism in the rhizobia-either free living or bacteroids. Using mutants defective in specific mechanisms of phosphate acquisition or regulation, we are studying phosphorus exchange between the bacteroid and legume host, and the global effects of phosphorus limitation on gene expression in rhizobia. The results of studies using Rhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium tropici as models will be briefly summarized to provide a minireview featuring: aspects of bacteroid phosphate metabolism, characterization of mutants defective for phosphatases, phosphate transport or regulation, and identification of phosphate-stress-inducible genes. Data obtained from these studies suggest the alfalfa and bean symbioses may differ with respect to the manner in which phosphorus is provided to the bacteroids, and that phosphorus limitation has global effects on gene expression in rhizobia.
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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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McDermott, T.R. (1999). Phosphate Metabolism in Rhizobium . In: Martĺnez, E., Hernández, G. (eds) Highlights of Nitrogen Fixation Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4795-2_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4795-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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