Analysis of Rhizobium etli and of its symbiosis with wild Phaseolus vulgaris supports coevolution in centers of host diversification.

ABSTRACT: Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) comprise three major geographic genetic pools, one in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia, another in the southern Andes, and a third in Ecuador and northern Peru. Species Rhizobium etli is the predominant rhizobia found symbiotically associated with beans in the Americas. We have found polymorphism in the common nodulation gene nodC among R. etli strains from a wide range of geographical origins, which disclosed three nodC types. The different nodC alleles in American strains show varying predominance in their regional distributions in correlation with the centers of bean genetic diversification (BD centers). By cross-inoculating wild common beans from the three BD centers with soils from Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Northwestern Argentina, the R. etli

SUBMITTER: Aguilar OM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC518792 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature