Abstract
The formation of nodules on the roots of legumes is a complex process, involving genes on both the host’s and the bacterial genome. We use the garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) as our model system, concentrating on the genes of the host plant that affect nodulation. Two classes of genes are being analyzed: mutants that produce phenotypic changes in nodule number or physiology (referred to as sym mutants) and genes encoding nodulins or other proteins with important roles in nodule biochemistry. Our approach has been to carefully characterize the sym mutants, thereby defining as accurately as possible their role in nodule formation and to map each of the sym and nodulin genes on the pea linkage map. Functionally related genes do not generally form clusters in the genomes of higher eukaryotes, and we expected the genes involved in nodule formation to be widely distributed on the pea linkage map. Correspondance between the map positions of sym and nodulin genes might indicate that the two are genetically related. If the two are coded by the same locus the precise metabolic defect affecting nodule formation in the mutant and, conversely, the mechanism through which a nodulin influences nodulation would be revealed.
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