Ethyl Methanesulfonate Mutagenesis Research Articles

The NUD1 Gene of Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Complements a Thermosensitive Lytic Mutation

ABSTRACTTemperature sensitive (ts) yeast strains have been obtained by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. They have a normal growth at low temperature and releases of intracellular proteins in the culture medium at 37°C. The ts mutation was localized in the NUD1 gene, which codes for a component of the yeast spindle pole body (SPB). Construction of a frame shift mutation in the wild type gene demonstrated that the correct sequence of the NUD1 gene only could complement the ts phenotype. Further analysis showed that the ts mutation deprived the cells of a normal termination of mitosis, thus causing death at restrictive temperature and a consequence cell lysis.

CAPS marker에 의한 Arabidopsis의 자외선 B 감수성 유전자 지도작성

Arabidopsis thaliana columbia의 종자에 EMS를 처리하여 돌연변이체들을 만들었고 이중 UV-B에 감수성이 높은 돌연변이체를 골랐다. 이 UV-B 감수성 돌연변이체의 원인 유전자를 밝히기 위하여 교배 실험을 한 결과 이는 Mendel 유전법칙을 따르고 단일 유전자의 돌연변이에 의하여 나타나며 열성 유전을 하는 것으로 밝혀져 이 유전자를 uvs라 하였다. 염색체상의 uvs의 위치를 밝히기 위하여 CAPS maker를 이용한 연관분석을 하고자 하였고 이를 위하여 각각 maker의 primer 10종류를 제작하였다. 이를 이용, 각 PCR 산물에 대하여 uvs mutant와는 다른 제한효소 pattern를 갖는 Lansberg와 uvs mutant를 교배시켜서 얻은 것들로부터 DNA를 추출하여 PCR을 수행하였다. 이들과 자외선과의 감수성을 연관시켜 교차율을 계산한 결과 5번 염색체의 LFY3과 가장 가까웁게 연관되어 있었다. A mutant Arabidopsis thaliana which is very sensitive to Ultraviolet-B(UV-B) radiation has been isolated by ethylmethane sulfonate(EMS) mutagenesis. Genetic cross proved the UV-sensitive gene(uvs) to segregate as a single Mendelian locus. For mapping of uvs, we crossed Arabidopsis thaliana Lansberg with uvs plant(Columbia), and made F2 plants by F1 selfcross. We designed 10 kinds of CAPS marker primers. Each primers amplifies a single mapped DNA sequence from uvs and Lansberg erecta ecotyres. Also identified was at least one restriction endonuclase for each of these PCR product that generates ecotype-specific digestion pattern. We got crossing over value of UB-sensitivity and each CAPS marker which located on different chromosome arm. The value of crossing over showed that uvs was linked to LFY3 which was on chromosome 5.

Essential Hydrophilic Carboxyl-terminal Regions Including Cysteine Residues of the Yeast Stretch-activated Calcium-permeable Channel Mid1

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae MID1 gene encodes a stretch-activated Ca(2+)-permeable nonselective cation channel composed of 548 amino acid residues. A physiological role of the Mid1 channel is known to maintain the viability of yeast cells exposed to mating pheromone, but its structural basis remains to be clarified. To solve this problem, we identified the mutation sites of mid1 mutant alleles generated by in vivo ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis and found that two mid1 alleles have nonsense mutations at the codon for Trp(441), generating a truncated Mid1 protein lacking two-thirds of the intracellular carboxyl-terminal region from Asn(389) to Thr(548). In vitro random mutagenesis with hydroxylamine also showed that the carboxyl-terminal region is essential. To identify the functional portion of the carboxyl-terminal region in detail, we performed a progressive carboxyl-terminal truncation followed by functional analyses and found that the truncated protein produced from the mid1 allele bearing the amber mutation at the codon for Phe(522) (F522Am) complemented the mating pheromone-induced death phenotype of the mid1 mutant and increased its Ca(2+) uptake activity to a wild-type level, whereas N521Am did not. This result indicates that the carboxyl-terminal domain spanning from Asn(389) to Asn(521) is required for Mid1 function. Interestingly, this domain is cysteine-rich, and alanine-scanning mutagenesis revealed that seven out of 10 cysteine residues are unexchangeable. These results clearly indicate that the carboxyl-terminal domain including the cysteine residues is important for Mid1 function.

Gliolectin-mediated carbohydrate binding at the Drosophila midline ensures the fidelity of axon pathfinding.

Gliolectin is a carbohydrate-binding protein (lectin) that mediates cell adhesion in vitro and is expressed by midline glial cells in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo. Gliolectin expression is maximal during early pathfinding of commissural axons across the midline (stages 12-13), a process that requires extensive signaling and cell-cell interactions between the midline glia and extending axons. Deletion of the gliolectin locus disrupts the formation of commissural pathways and also delays the completion of longitudinal pathfinding. The disruption in commissure formation is accompanied by reduced axon-glial contact, such that extending axons grow on other axons and form a tightly fasciculated bundle that arches over the midline. By contrast, pioneering commissural axons normally cross the midline as a distributed array of fibers that interdigitate among the midline glia, maximizing contact and, therefor, communication between axon and glia. Restoration of Gliolectin protein expression in the midline glia rescues the observed pathfinding defects of null mutants in a dose-dependent manner. Hypomorphic alleles generated by ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis exhibit a similar phenotype in combination with a deletion and these defects are also rescued by transgenic expression of Gliolectin protein. The observed phenotypes indicate that carbohydrate-lectin interactions at the Drosophila midline provide the necessary surface contact to capture extending axons, thereby ensuring that combinatorial codes of positive and negative growth signals are interpreted appropriately.

The essential and ancillary role of glutathione in Saccharomyces cerevisiae analysed using a grande gsh1 disruptant strain.

A grande gsh1 disruptant mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was generated by crossing a petite disruptant to a wild-type grande strain. This strain was relatively stable, but generated petites at an elevated frequency, illustrating the ancillary role of glutathione (GSH) in the maintenance of the genetic integrity of the mitochondrial genome. The availability of the grande gsh1 deletant enabled an evaluation of the role of GSH in the cellular response to hydrogen peroxide independent of the effects of a petite mutation. The mutant strain was more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide than the wild-type strain but was still capable of producing an adaptive stress response to this compound. GSH was found to be essential for growth and sporulation of the yeast, but the intracellular level needed to support growth was at least two orders of magnitude less than that normally present in wild-type cells. This surprising result indicates that there is an essential role for GSH but only very low amounts are needed for growth. This result was also found in anaerobic conditions, thus this essential function does not involve protection from oxidative stress. Suppressors of the gsh1 deletion mutation were isolated by ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis. These were the result of a single recessive mutation (sgr1, suppressor for glutathione requirement) that relieved the requirement for GSH for growth on minimal medium but did not affect the sensitivity to H(2)O(2) stress. Interestingly, the gsh1 sgr1 mutant generated petites at a lower rate than the gsh1 mutant. Thus, it is suggested that the essential role of GSH is involved in the maintenance of the mitochondrial genome.

The essential and ancillary role of glutathione in analysed using a grande disruptant strain

A grande gsh1 disruptant mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was generated by crossing a petite disruptant to a wild-type grande strain. This strain was relatively stable, but generated petites at an elevated frequency, illustrating the ancillary role of glutathione (GSH) in the maintenance of the genetic integrity of the mitochondrial genome. The availability of the grande gsh1 deletant enabled an evaluation of the role of GSH in the cellular response to hydrogen peroxide independent of the effects of a petite mutation. The mutant strain was more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide than the wild-type strain but was still capable of producing an adaptive stress response to this compound. GSH was found to be essential for growth and sporulation of the yeast, but the intracellular level needed to support growth was at least two orders of magnitude less than that normally present in wild-type cells. This surprising result indicates that there is an essential role for GSH but only very low amounts are needed for growth. This result was also found in anaerobic conditions, thus this essential function does not involve protection from oxidative stress. Suppressors of the gsh1 deletion mutation were isolated by ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis. These were the result of a single recessive mutation (sgr1, suppressor for glutathione requirement) that relieved the requirement for GSH for growth on minimal medium but did not affect the sensitivity to H2O2 stress. Interestingly, the gsh1 sgr1 mutant generated petites at a lower rate than the gsh1 mutant. Thus, it is suggested that the essential role of GSH is involved in the maintenance of the mitochondrial genome.

Whole-genome effects of ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutation on nine quantitative traits in outbred Drosophila melanogaster.

We induced mutations in Drosophila melanogaster males by treating them with 21.2 mm ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Nine quantitative traits (developmental time, viability, fecundity, longevity, metabolic rate, motility, body weight, and abdominal and sternopleural bristle numbers) were measured in outbred heterozygous F3 (viability) or F2 (all other traits) offspring from the treated males. The mean values of the first four traits, which are all directly related to the life history, were substantially affected by EMS mutagenesis: the developmental time increased while viability, fecundity, and longevity declined. In contrast, the mean values of the other five traits were not significantly affected. Rates of recessive X-linked lethals and of recessive mutations at several loci affecting eye color imply that our EMS treatment was equivalent to approximately 100 generations of spontaneous mutation. If so, our data imply that one generation of spontaneous mutation increases the developmental time by 0.09% at 20 degrees and by 0.04% at 25 degrees, and reduces viability under harsh conditions, fecundity, and longevity by 1.35, 0.21, and 0.08%, respectively. Comparison of flies with none, one, and two grandfathers (or greatgrandfathers, in the case of viability) treated with EMS did not reveal any significant epistasis among the induced mutations.

Colicin A hybrids: a genetic tool for selection of type II secretion-proficient Pseudomonas strains.

The gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes the majority of its extracellular proteins by the type II secretion mechanism, a two-step process initiated by translocation of signal peptide-bearing exoproteins across the inner membrane. The periplasmic forms are transferred across the outer membrane by a machinery consisting of 12 xcp gene products. Although the type II secretion machinery is conserved among gram-negative bacteria, interactions between the secreted proteins and the machinery are specific. The lack of a selectable phenotype has hampered the development of genetic strategies for studying type II secretion. We report a novel strategy to identify rare events, such as those that allow heterologous secretion or identification of extragenic suppressors correcting xcp defects. This is based on creating a host-vector system where the non-secretory phenotype is lethal. The original tool we designed is a hybrid protein containing elastase and the pore-forming domain of colicin A.

Role of Drosophila IKK gamma in a toll-independent antibacterial immune response.

We have generated, by ethylmethane sulfonate mutagenesis, loss-of-function mutants in the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian I-kappa B kinase (IKK) complex component IKK gamma (also called NEMO). Our data show that Drosophila IKK gamma is required for the Relish-dependent immune induction of the genes encoding antibacterial peptides and for resistance to infections by Escherichia coli. However, it is not required for the Toll-DIF-dependent antifungal host defense. The results indicate distinct control mechanisms of the Rel-like transactivators DIF and Relish in the Drosophila innate immune response and show that Drosophila Toll does not signal through a IKK gamma-dependent signaling complex. Thus, in contrast to the vertebrate inflammatory response, IKK gamma is required for the activation of only one immune signaling pathway in Drosophila.

Drosophila D-titin is required for myoblast fusion and skeletal muscle striation.

An ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis of Drosophila melanogaster aimed at discovering novel genes essential for neuromuscular development identified six embryonic lethal alleles of one genetic locus on the third chromosome at 62C. Two additional lethal P element insertion lines, l(3)S02001 and l(3)j1D7, failed to complement each other and each of the six EMS alleles. Analysis of genomic sequence bracketing the two insertion sites predicted a protein of 16,215 amino acid residues, encoded by a 70 kb genomic region. This sequence includes the recently characterized kettin, and includes all known partial D-Titin sequences. We call the genetic locus, which encodes both D-Titin and kettin, D-Titin. D-Titin has 53 repeats of the immunoglobulin C2 domain, 6 repeats of the fibronectin type III domain and two large PEVK domains. Kettin appears to be the NH2-terminal one third of D-Titin, presumably expressed via alternative splicing. Phenotype assays on the allelic series of D-Titin mutants demonstrated that D-Titin plays an essential role in muscle development. First, D-Titin has an unsuspected function in myoblast fusion during myogenesis and, second, D-Titin later serves to organize myofilaments into the highly ordered arrays underlying skeletal muscle striation. We propose that D-Titin is instrumental in the development of the two defining features of striated muscle: the formation of multi-nucleate syncitia and the organization of actin-myosin filaments into striated arrays.

Establishment of new multidrug-resistant human osteosarcoma cell lines.

Multidrug-resistant clones of human osteosarcoma MNNG/HOS and MG63 cells were isolated by stepwise selection on exposure to increasing doses of doxorubicin (DXR). The final clones MNNG/HOS/DXR1000 and MG63/DXR1000, established after ethylmethane sulfonate mutagenesis, showed 96-fold and 121-fold higer resistance to DXR than their parental cell lines. They were also cross-resistant to vincristine, but not to cisplatinum or methotrexate. The levels of multidrug-resistance-1 (MDR1) mRNA expression increased gradually according to the concentration of DXR in both cell lines. Although the parental MNNG/HOS cells expressed a low level of MDR1 mRNA, the parental MG63 cells showed no MDR1 expression. The IC50 values of MNNG/HOS and its resistant variant to DXR were higher than those of MG63 and its resistant clone. Multidrug-resistant associated protein (MRP) mRNA expression was detected in MNNG/HOS or MG63 parental cell lines, and in their resistant variants. MG63 and its resistant variants revealed stable expression of MRP, whereas the resistant phenotype of MNNG/HOS showed decreased MRP expression, compared to its parental cell line. No alteration in the levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or its receptor c-MET was recognized between parental lines and their resistant variants. The results indicate that our DXR-resistant variants of MNNG/HOS and MG63 reveal a classical MDR phenotype and can offer a model with which to investigate the mechanisms of multidrug resistance in osteosarcoma.

Mutants of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae deficient in general secretory pathway are virulence deficient and unable to secrete xylanase.

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial leaf blight, a serious disease of rice. A virulence- and xylanase-deficient mutant of Xoo was isolated following ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. A cosmid clone that restored virulence and xylanase secretion was obtained from a genomic library by functional complementation. Transposon mutagenesis and marker exchange studies revealed genes on the cloned DNA that were required for xylanase production and virulence. Sequence analysis with transposon-specific primers revealed that these genes were homologues of xps F and xps D, which encode components of a protein secretion system in Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Enzyme assays showed xylanase accumulation in the periplasmic space and cytoplasm of the xps F mutant and the complementing clone restored transport to the extracellular space.

A direct screen identifies new flight muscle mutants on the Drosophila second chromosome.

An ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis of Drosophila melanogaster was undertaken, and >3000 mutagenized second chromosomes were generated. More than 800 homozygous viable lines were established, and adults were screened directly under polarized light for muscle defects. A total of 16 mutant strains in which the indirect flight muscles were reduced in volume or disorganized or were otherwise abnormal were identified. These fell into seven recessive and one semidominant complementation groups. Five of these eight complementation groups, including the semidominant mutation, have been mapped using chromosomal deficiencies and meiotic recombination. Two complementation groups mapped close to the Myosin heavy chain gene, but they are shown to be in different loci. Developmental analysis of three mutations showed that two of these are involved in the early stages of adult myogenesis while the other showed late defects. This is the first report of results from a systematic and direct screen for recessive flight muscle defects. This mutant screen identifies genes affecting the flight muscles, which are distinct from those identified when screening for flightlessness.

A Novel Family of Yeast Chaperons Involved in the Distribution of V-ATPase and Other Membrane Proteins

Null mutations in genes encoding V-ATPase subunits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae result in a phenotype that is unable to grow at high pH and is sensitive to high and low metal-ion concentrations. Treatment of these null mutants with ethylmethanesulfonate causes mutations that suppress the V-ATPase null phenotype, and the mutant cells are able to grow at pH 7.5. The suppressor mutants were denoted as svf (suppressor of V-ATPase function). The frequency of svf is relatively high, suggesting a large target containing several genes for the ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis. The suppressors' frequency is dependent on the individual genes that were inactivated to manifest the V-ATPase null mutation. The svf mutations are recessive, because crossing the svf mutants with their corresponding V-ATPase null mutants resulted in diploid strains that are unable to grow at pH 7.5. A novel gene family in which null mutations cause pleiotropic effects on metal-ion resistance or sensitivity and distribution of membrane proteins in different targets was discovered. The family was defined as VTC (Vacuolar Transporter Chaperon) and it contains four genes in the S. cerevisiae genome. Inactivation of one of them, VTC1, in the background of V-ATPase null mutations resulted in svf phenotype manifested by growth at pH 7.5. Deletion of the VTC1 gene (DeltaVTC1) results in a reduced amount of V-ATPase in the vacuolar membrane. These mutant cells fail to accumulate quinacrine into their vacuoles, but they are able to grow at pH 7.5. The VTC1 null mutant also results in a reduced amount of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (Pma1p) in membrane preparations and possibly mis-targeting. This observation may provide an explanation for the svf phenotype in the double disruptant mutants of DeltaVTC1 and DeltaVMA subunits.

Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) Sensitivity Analysis and UVR Survival Strategies of a Bacterial Community from the Phyllosphere of Field-Grown Peanut (Arachis hypogeae L.).

> Abstract The short-term population dynamics of the culturable bacterial community from field-grown peanut (Arachis hypogeae L.) was analyzed over three 2-day periods. As in other phyllosphere studies, significant numbers of pigmented organisms were detected, suggesting the importance of pigmentation in the colonization of this habitat. Isolates were grouped according to pigmentation (orange, pink, yellow, nonpigmented), and the sensitivity of each isolate in the collection (n = 617) to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was determined as the minimal inhibitory dose (MIDC) of UVR that resulted in an inhibition of growth compared to an unirradiated control. The majority of isolates recovered (56.1%) had an MIDC equal to or exceeding that of Pseudomonas syringae 8B48, a known UV-tolerant strain. Among pigmentation groups, the mean MIDC of pink- and orange-pigmented isolates was significantly greater than that of yellow- or nonpigmented isolates at each sampling time of day. Identification of 213 of the isolates using fatty acid methyl ester analysis indicated that a large proportion of the isolates were gram-positive, with Bacillus spp. alone accounting for 35.7% of the total. The genus Curtobacterium contained the largest percentage of highly UVR-tolerant strains. Nonpigmented mutants of four Curtobacterium strains were selected following ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenesis; these nonpigmented mutants were significantly altered in survival following irradiation with UV-A wavelengths. The strategy of avoidance of UVR through colonization of the abaxial leaf surface was evaluated on three separate occasions by leaf imprint sampling. Only 3 of 120 leaves (2.5%) contained larger bacterial populations on the adaxial surface, indicating that colonization of the abaxial leaf surface is important to phyllosphere survival. Our results indicate that tolerance to UVR is a common phenotype among phyllosphere bacteria, suggesting that solar radiation has a strong influence on the microbial ecology of the phyllosphere.http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/00248/bibs/38n1p27.html

Commissure Formation in the Embryonic CNS ofDrosophila: I. Identification of the Required Gene Functions

In the ventral nerve cord ofDrosophilamost axons are organized in a simple, ladder-like pattern. Two segmental commissures connect the hemisegments along the mediolateral and two longitudinal connectives connect individual neuromeres along the anterior–posterior axis. Cells located at the midline of the developing CNS first guide commissural growth cones toward and across the midline. In later stages, midline glial cells are required to separate anterior and posterior commissures into distinct axon bundles. To unravel the genes underlying the formation of axon pattern in the embryonic ventral nerve cord, we conducted a saturating ethylmethane sulfonate mutagenesis, screening for mutations which disrupt this process. Subsequent genetic and phenotypic analyses support a sequential model of axon pattern formation in the embryonic ventral nerve cord. Specification of midline cell lineages is brought about by the action of segment polarity genes. Five genes are necessary for the establishment of the commissures. In addition tocommissureless,thenetringenes, and the netrin receptor encoded by thefrazzledgene, two gene functions are required for the initial formation of commissural tracts. Over 20 genes appear to be required for correct development of the midline glial cells which are necessary for the formation of distinct segmental commissures.

Nystatin Effects on Vacuolar Function inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

The effects of nystatin, a polyene antibiotic, was studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by isolating and characterizing nystatin-sensitive mutants. We isolated a number of nystatin-sensitive mutants by ethylmethane sulfonate mutagenesis. One of these mutants, the nss1 mutant, was characterized in detail. The mutant was sensitive to stresses such as high temperature or high concentrations of monovalent and divalent cations. The nss1 mutants showed severe vacuolar protein sorting and vacuolar morphology defects. The nss1 mutant was demonstrated to have a mutational lesion in the known VPS16 gene, which is essential for vacuolar protein sorting in S. cerevisiae. All of the vacuolar deficient mutants (vps11, vps16, vps18, and vps33) were sensitive to nystatin. Nystatin was found to cause extensive enlargement of the vacuole in wild-type S. cerevisiae cells. These results are discussed with special reference to the vacuolar function of S. cerevisiae.

Intracellular proteases in sporulated Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and their role in protoxin activation

The intracellular proteases in sporulated Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki were studied to identify the endogenous proteases involved in the activation of protoxin. The proteases obtained with 30% ammonium sulfate saturation were analysed by both gelatin zymography and azocasein hydrolysis. Three proteases with molecular mass 92 kDa, 78 kDa and 69 kDa were identified on gelatin gel and their gelatinolytic activity was inhibited by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. Significantly, 1,10-phenanthroline caused an inhibition of the azocasein hydrolytic activity by 98% and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid by 28%. The three proteases were heat-stable at 65 °C, while the 69-kDa protease was active up to 75 °C. Intracellular protease-deficient mutants (ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis) could not generate the active toxin suggesting the existence of a specific enzyme affecting the conversion of protoxin to toxin.

Intracellular proteases in sporulatedBacillus thuringiensissubsp.kurstakiand their role in protoxin activation

The intracellular proteases in sporulated Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki were studied to identify the endogenous proteases involved in the activation of protoxin. The proteases obtained with 30% ammonium sulfate saturation were analysed by both gelatin zymography and azocasein hydrolysis. Three proteases with molecular mass 92 kDa, 78 kDa and 69 kDa were identified on gelatin gel and their gelatinolytic activity was inhibited by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. Significantly, 1,10-phenanthroline caused an inhibition of the azocasein hydrolytic activity by 98% and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid by 28%. The three proteases were heat-stable at 65 °C, while the 69-kDa protease was active up to 75 °C. Intracellular protease-deficient mutants (ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis) could not generate the active toxin suggesting the existence of a specific enzyme affecting the conversion of protoxin to toxin.

Nodule Organogenesis and Symbiotic Mutants of the Model Legume Lotus japonicus

A detailed microscopical analysis of the morphological features that distinguish different developmental stages of nodule organogenesis in wild-type Lotus japonicus ecotype Gifu B-129-S9 plants was performed, to provide the necessary framework for the evaluation of altered phenotypes of L. japonicus symbiotic mutants. Subsequently, chemical ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis of L. japonicus was carried out. The analysis of approximately 3,000 M1 plants and their progeny yielded 20 stable L. japonicus symbiotic variants, consisting of at least 14 different symbiosis-associated loci or complementation groups. Moreover, a mutation affecting L. japonicus root development was identified that also conferred a hypernodulation response when a line carrying the corresponding allele (LjEMS102) was inoculated with rhizobia. The phenotype of the LjEMS102 line was characterized by the presence of nodule structures covering almost the entire root length (Nod++), and by a concomitant inhibition of both root and stem growth. A mutation in a single nuclear gene was shown to be responsible for both root and symbiotic phenotypes observed in the L. japonicus LjEMS102 line, suggesting that (a) common mechanism(s) regulating root development and nodule formation exists in legumes.