XVI International Botanical Congess

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is the predominant pathway by which the abundant, but inert pool, of atmospheric dinitrogen is converted into a biologically useful form. Attachment of B. japonicum cells to soybean root hairs is considered to be one of the essential early events in their symbiotic interaction that leads to successful nodule induction. However, the means by which B. japonicum attach to soybean roots, the mechanism and the specificity of this attachment remains uncertain. Our lab has developed an assay which measures the binding kinetics that occur during their specific attachment. Using this assay it will be possible to identify the bradyrhizobial factor and the soybean surface factor which are involved in attachment. The involvement of the identified gene(s) in the specificity of B. japonicum-soybean interaction will be examined.