Bradyrhizobium sp. S23321 is an oligotrophic bacterium isolated from paddy field soil. Although S23321 is phylogenetically close to Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110, a legume symbiont, it is unable to induce root nodules in siratro, a legume often used for testing Nod factor-dependent nodulation. The genome of S23321 is a single circular chromosome, 7,231,841 bp in length, with an average GC content of 64.3%. The genome contains 6,898 potential protein-encoding genes, one set of rRNA genes, and 45 tRNA genes. Comparison of the genome structure between S23321 and USDA110 showed strong colinearity; however, the symbiosis islands present in USDA110 were absent in S23321, whose genome lacked a chaperonin gene cluster (groELS3) for symbiosis regulation found in USDA110. A comparison of sequences around the tRNA-Val gene strongly suggested that S23321 contains an ancestral-type genome that precedes the acquisition of a symbiosis island by horizontal gene transfer. Although S23321 contains a nif (nitrogen fixation) gene cluster, the organization, homology, and phylogeny of the genes in this cluster were more similar to those of photosynthetic bradyrhizobia ORS278 and BTAi1 than to those on the symbiosis island of USDA110. In addition, we found genes encoding a complete photosynthetic system, many ABC transporters for amino acids and oligopeptides, two types (polar and lateral) of flagella, multiple respiratory chains, and a system for lignin monomer catabolism in the S23321 genome. These features suggest that S23321 is able to adapt to a wide range of environments, probably including low-nutrient conditions, with multiple survival strategies in soil and rhizosphere.
Soil type is one of the key factors affecting soil microbial communities. With regard to ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), however, it has not been determined how soil type affects their community size and soil nitrification activity. Here we quantitatively analyzed the ammonia monooxygenase genes (amoA) of these ammonia oxidizers in fields with three different soil types (Low-humic Andosol [LHA], Gray Lowland Soil [GLS], and Yellow Soil [YS]) under common cropping conditions, and assessed the relationships between soil nitrification activity and the abundance of each amoA. Nitrification activity of LHA was highest, followed by that of GLS and YS; this order was consistent with that for the abundance of AOB amoA. Abundance of AOB amoA showed temporal variation, which was similar to that observed in nitrification activity, and a strong relationship (adjusted R 2 =0.742) was observed between the abundance of AOB amoA and nitrification activity. Abundance of AOA amoA also exhibited a significant relationship (adjusted R 2 =0.228) with nitrification activity, although this relationship was much weaker. Our results indicate that soil type affects the community size of AOA and AOB and the resulting nitrification activity, and that AOB are major contributors to nitrification in soils, while AOA are partially responsible.
Direct DNA extraction followed by 18S rDNA polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) is widely used for the analysis of fungal diversity in agricultural soil ecosystems. Various PCR primer sets have been used for fungi, but few reports have compared the properties of the primers. We investigated the properties of four widely used primer sets for fungal 18S rDNA DGGE: (1) NS1/GCFung, (2) FF390/FR1(N)-GC, (3) NS1/FR1(N)-GC (for single PCR) and (4) NS1/EF3 for the first PCR and NS1/FR1(N)-GC for the second PCR (for nested PCR). Using six soil samples from upland and paddy fields in Japan, the primers were compared in terms of PCR amplification efficacy, detection and reproducibility of the DGGE banding profiles, the obtained diversity indices, and the discrimination ability of the fungal communities using DGGE. The efficacy of PCR amplification using primer set 1 and the first PCR of primer set 4 was better than that using primer sets 2 and 3. In DGGE analysis, the PCR products of primer sets 3 and 4 showed the highest diversity indices. However, these primer sets had drawbacks, namely, the presence of non-specific aggregates and poor reproducibility of the DGGE profiles. Although primer sets 1 and 2 yielded shorter sequences of similar length, the PCR products with primer set 1 showed higher diversity indices than those with primer set 2. Multidimensional scaling analysis of the DGGE profiles indicated that primer set 1 could most clearly discriminate each fungal community in the soil samples. Although each primer set had advantages and disadvantages, together our analyses indicated that primer set 1 is the most suitable for detecting fungal diversities in soil using DGGE analysis. Our results are useful for selecting primers according to the aim of a particular study.
Agricultural soil is the largest source of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas. Soybean is an important leguminous crop worldwide. Soybean hosts symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria (rhizobia) in root nodules. In soybean ecosystems, N2O emissions often increase during decomposition of the root nodules. Our previous study showed that N2O reductase can be used to mitigate N2O emission from soybean fields during nodule decomposition by inoculation with nosZ++ strains [mutants with increased N2O reductase (N2OR) activity] of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens. Here, we show that N2O emission can be reduced at the field scale by inoculation with a mixed culture of indigenous nosZ+ strains of B. diazoefficiens USDA110 group isolated from Japanese agricultural fields. Our results also suggested that nodule nitrogen is the main source of N2O production during nodule decomposition. Isolating nosZ+ strains from local soybean fields would be more applicable and feasible for many soybean-producing countries than generating mutants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.