Abstract
Legume plants are used as a protein source for human and animal nutrition. The high protein content of legume plants is achieved via the establishment of a root symbiosis with rhizobia that allows the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen. In recent years, M. truncatula has been used as a legume model in view of its small, diploid genome, self-fertility, and short life cycle, as well as availability of various genomic and genetic tools. The choice and use of this model legume plant in parallel with the other model legume Lotus japonicus for molecular studies has triggered extensive studies that have now identified the molecular actors corresponding to the first steps of the plant–bacterial interaction. The use of this plant as model in an increasing number of laboratories has resulted in the development of numerous protocols to study the establishment of the symbiosis. The media and growth conditions used in our laboratory to nodulate wild-type or transgenic plants as well as wild-type plants with transgenic hairy root system are described below.
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We would like to thank Dr. M. Schultze for careful reading of the manuscript.
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Gourion, B., Bourcy, M., Cosson, V., Ratet, P. (2013). Protocols for Growing Plant Symbioses; Rhizobia. In: Maathuis, F. (eds) Plant Mineral Nutrients. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 953. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-152-3_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-152-3_4
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Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
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