LysM Domain Receptor Kinases Regulating Rhizobial Nod Factor-Induced Infection

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 302; no. 5645; pp. 630 - 633
• Main Authors: Limpens, Erik, Franken, Carolien, Smit, Patrick, Willemse, Joost, Bisseling, Ton, Geurts, René
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 24.10.2003; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteria; Base Sequence; Beans; Biological and medical sciences; Economic plant physiology; entry; Factor Structure; factor-perception; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; genes; Genes, Plant; Genetic aspects; genomes; Infections; Legumes; Ligands; Lipopolysaccharides - metabolism; Logical Thinking; Medicago - genetics; Medicago - microbiology; Medicago - physiology; medicago-truncatula controls; meliloti; Mimosaceae; Models, Biological; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation; Nitrogen Fixation; Nodulation; nodulation factor; Nodules; Parasitism and symbiosis; Peas; Phenotype; Phenotypes; Physiological aspects; Pisum sativum; Plant physiology and development; Plant roots; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plant Roots - physiology; Protein Kinases - chemistry; Protein Kinases - genetics; Protein Kinases - metabolism; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Receptors; resistance; Rhizobium; RNA Interference; Root hairs; signal; Signal Transduction; Sinorhizobium meliloti - chemistry; Sinorhizobium meliloti - genetics; Sinorhizobium meliloti - growth & development; Sinorhizobium meliloti - physiology; specificity; Symbiosis; Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...); Symbiosis; Medicago truncatula; Enzyme; Transferases; Plant nodule; Genetic determinism; Characterization; Leguminosae; Gene; Kinase; Dicotyledones; Pisum sativum; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Plant microorganism relation; Biological receptor
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1090074

The rhizobial infection of legumes has the most stringent demand toward Nod factor structure of all host responses, and therefore a specific Nod factor entry receptor has been proposed. The SYM2 gene identified in certain ecotypes of pea (Pisum sativum) is a good candidate for such an entry receptor. We exploited the close phylogenetic relationship of pea and the model legume Medicago truncatula to identify genes specifically involved in rhizobial infection. The SYM2 orthologous region of M. truncatula contains 15 putative receptor-like genes, of which 7 are LysM domain-containing receptor-like kinases (LYKs). Using reverse genetics in M. truncatula, we show that two LYK genes are specifically involved in infection thread formation. This, as well as the properties of the LysM domains, strongly suggests that they are Nod factor entry receptors.