Comparative Genomics of Aeschynomene Symbionts: Insights into the Ecological Lifestyle of Nod-Independent Photosynthetic Bradyrhizobia

Damien Mornico , Lucie Miche (1) , Gilles Bena (1, 2) , Nico Nouwen (1) , Andre Vermeglio (3, 4) , David Vallenet (5) , Alexander A. T. Smith , Eric Giraud (1) , Claudine Médigue (5) , Lionel Moulin (1)

1 UMR LSTM - Laboratoire des symbioses tropicales et méditerranéennes
2 LMBM LMI LMBV
3 LEMIRE - Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne de la Rhizosphère et d'Environnements Extrêmes
4 BVME - Biologie végétale et microbiologie environnementale - UMR7265
5 GENOSCOPE - Genoscope - Centre national de séquençage [Evry]

Tropical aquatic species of the legume genus Aeschynomene are stem- and root-nodulated by bradyrhizobia strains that exhibit atypical features such as photosynthetic capacities or the use of a nod gene-dependent (ND) or a nod gene-independent (NI) pathway to enter into symbiosis with legumes. In this study we used a comparative genomics approach on nine Aeschynomene symbionts representative of their phylogenetic diversity. We produced draft genomes of bradyrhizobial strains representing different phenotypes: five NI photosynthetic strains (STM3809, ORS375, STM3847, STM4509 and STM4523) in addition to the previously sequenced ORS278 and BTAi1 genomes, one photosynthetic strain ORS285 hosting both ND and NI symbiotic systems, and one NI non-photosynthetic strain (STM3843). Comparative genomics allowed us to infer the core, pan and dispensable genomes of Aeschynomene bradyrhizobia, and to detect specific genes and their location in Genomic Islands (GI). Specific gene sets linked to photosynthetic and NI/ND abilities were identified, and are currently being studied in functional analyses.

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement; Biodiversité et Ecologie

Damien Mornico, Lucie Miche, Gilles Bena, Nico Nouwen, Andre Vermeglio, et al.. Comparative Genomics of Aeschynomene Symbionts: Insights into the Ecological Lifestyle of Nod-Independent Photosynthetic Bradyrhizobia. Genes, 2012, 3 (1), pp.35-61. ⟨10.3390/genes3010035⟩. ⟨hal-01791870⟩