Abstract
Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii is a soil-inhabiting bacterium that has the capacity to be an effective N2-fixing microsymbiont of Trifolium (clover) species. R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain WSM1689 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that was isolated from a root nodule of Trifolium uniflorum collected on the edge of a valley 6 km from Eggares on the Greek Island of Naxos. Although WSM1689 is capable of highly effective N2-fixation with T. uniflorum, it is either unable to nodulate or unable to fix N2 with a wide range of both perennial and annual clovers originating from Europe, North America and Africa. WSM1689 therefore possesses a very narrow host range for effective N2 fixation and can thus play a valuable role in determining the geographic and phenological barriers to symbiotic performance in the genus Trifolium. Here we describe the features of R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain WSM1689, together with the complete genome sequence and its annotation. The 6,903,379 bp genome contains 6,709 protein-coding genes and 89 RNA-only encoding genes. This multipartite genome contains six distinct replicons; a chromosome of size 4,854,518 bp and five plasmids of size 667,306, 518,052, 341,391, 262,704 and 259,408 bp. This rhizobial genome is one of 20 sequenced as part of a DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Community Sequencing Program.
Highlights
The nitrogen (N) cycle is one of the most important biogeochemical processes underpinning the existence of life on Earth
Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain WSM1689 was isolated in 1995 from a nodule of the perennial clover Trifolium uniflorum collected on the edge of a valley 6 km from Eggares on the Greek Island of Naxos
R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii WSM1689 has a very narrow host range and represents a good isolate to study the genetic basis of symbiotic specificity
Summary
The nitrogen (N) cycle is one of the most important biogeochemical processes underpinning the existence of life on Earth. BNF is performed only by a specialized subset of Bacteria and Archaea that possess the necessary cellular machinery to enzymatically reduce N2 into NH3. Some of these bacteria (termed rhizobia or root nodule bacteria) have evolved non-obligatory symbiotic relationships with legumes whereby the bacteria receive a carbon source from the plant and in return supply fixed N to the host [1]. Harnessing this association can boost soil N-inputs and production yields of legumes, or non-legumes grown in subsequent years, without the need for supplementation with industrially synthesized N-based fertilizers [2]
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