Stimulation of adhesiveness, infectivity and competitiveness for nodulation in Bradyrhizobium japonicum by its pretreatment with soybean seed lectin.

ANÍBAL R. LODEIRO; SILVINA L. LÓPEZ- GARCÍA; TIRSO E. E. VÁZQUEZ; GABRIEL FAVELUKES

FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS

Elsevier Science B.V.

Año: 2000 vol. 188 p. 177 - 184

0378-1097

AbstractSoybean seed lectin stimulates adsorption of Bradyrhizobium japonicum to its host roots. Pretreatment of the rhizobia with soybean seedlectin for at least 6^12 h previous to their interaction with the plants was required to detect the stimulatory effect. This activity could beobserved with as few as 1000 soybean seed lectin molecules per bacterium, and required specific carbohydrate binding. Infectivity andcompetitiveness for nodulation were also stimulated by preincubation of the rhizobia either with soybean seed meal extract or soybean seedlectin, the extract being more effective in enhancing competitiveness. ß 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of theFederation of European Microbiological Societies.