A snapshot of functional genetic studies inMedicago truncatula

Abstract

In the current context of food security, increase of plant protein production in a sustainable manner represents one of the major challenges of agronomic research, which could be partially resolved by increased cultivation of legume crops. Medicago truncatula is now a well-established model for legume genomic and genetic studies. With the establishment of genomics tools and mutant populations in M. truncatula, it has become an important resource to answer some of the basic biological questions related to plant development and stress tolerance. This review has an objective to overview a decade of genetic studies in this model plant from generation of mutant populations to nowadays. To date, the three biological fields, which have been extensively studied in M. truncatula, are the symbiotic nitrogen fixation, the seed development, and the abiotic stress tolerance, due to their significant agronomic impacts. In this review, we summarize functional genetic studies related to these three major biological fields. We integrated analyses of a nearly exhaustive list of genes into their biological contexts in order to provide an overview of the forefront research advances in this important legume model plant.

Evolving together, evolving apart: measuring the fitness of rhizobial bacteria in and out of symbiosis with leguminous plants

“…Decades of functional genetic work provide a strong foundation for contextualizing results from studies of rhizobia in ecologically realistic conditions. For instance, host DMI and bacterial Nod genes are important for nodule formation, and host DNF and bacterial Nif/Fix genes are necessary for N fixation (Kang et al, 2016). Development of molecular and genomic resources in other legume-rhizobia systems is proceeding rapidly.…”

Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of glutathione S-transferase family under multiple abiotic and biotic stresses in Medicago truncatula L.

“…truncatula is a small diploid (2n = 16) annual legume that has been cultivated widely as a forage plant in the USA for animal feed [ 7 ]. Due to its relatively small genome (~375 Mbp) and short generation time (4 months) [ 7 ] research has been focused on the critical genes that respond to abiotic and biotic stresses in the Medicago [ 8 ]. Stresses are often accompanied by an increase in the production of highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) [ 9 ].…”

MicroRNAs expression dynamics reveal post-transcriptional mechanisms regulating seed development in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

“…Seed development (SD) is a complex process that starts with a double fertilization and usually comprises three stages in orthodox seeds: embryogenesis, filling, and desiccation 3 . We described the main molecular and metabolic mechanisms underlying SD in P. vulgaris by analyzing proteomic and transcriptomic changes in seeds harvested at 10, 20, 30, and 40 days after anthesis (DAA) 4,5 .…”