Genomic characterization of a diazotrophic microbiota associated with maize aerial root mucilage.

ABSTRACT: A geographically isolated maize landrace cultivated on nitrogen-depleted fields without synthetic fertilizer in the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico utilizes nitrogen derived from the atmosphere and develops an extensive network of mucilage-secreting aerial roots that harbors a diazotrophic (N2-fixing) microbiota. Targeting these diazotrophs, we selected nearly 600 microbes of a collection obtained from mucilage and confirmed their ability to incorporate heavy nitrogen (15N2) metabolites in vitro. Sequencing their genomes and conducting comparative bioinformatic analyses showed that these genomes had substantial phylogenetic diversity. We examined each diazotroph genome for the presence of nif genes essential to nitrogen fixation (nifHDKENB) and carbohydrate utilization genes relevant

SUBMITTER: Higdon SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7521700 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature