Interaction with Endophytic Bacteria

Target

Sugarcane lives in a particular association with diazotrophic and plant hormone-producing endophytic bacteria, such as Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, Herbaspirillum seropedicae and H. rubrisubalbicans. In this interaction, bacteria colonize the intercellular spaces and vascular tissues of most plant organs, promoting plant growth without causing any disease symptoms. The main goal of the group is to study the role of the plant in the association. The signaling pathways by which sugarcane plants can decipher bacterial signals and respond properly for a successful association are still not clearly understood. The molecular mechanisms that promote plant growth by association with the endophytes are also not known. To address these questions, sugarcane gene expression has been analyzed during the association by different approaches: (i) cDNA -AFLP fingerprinting, (ii) transcriptional profiles generated from the SUCEST (Sugarcane EST Sequencing Project) database and (iii) microarray.

Publications

Nogueira, E.M, Vinagre, F., Masuda, H.P., Vargas, C. , de Pádua, V. L. M., da Silva, F. R. , dos Santos, R. V. , Baldani,, J.I., Ferreira, P.C.G. and Hemerly, A.S. (2001). Expression of sugar cane genes induced by inoculation with Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans. GMB, 24, 199-206 Nogueira, E.M, Vinagre, F., Masuda, H.P., Vargas, C., de Padua V.L.M., da Silva, F.R., dos Santos, R.V., Baldani, J.I., Ferreira, P.C.G. and Hemerly, A.S. (2002). Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Sugar Cane: a Genome Perspective. In: Nitrogen Fixation: Global Perspectives, CABI Publishing (eds T Finan, M O’brian, D. Layzell, K. Vessey, W Newton), 470. Vargas C., de Pádua V., Nogueira E.M., Vinagre F. , Masuda H.P., da Silva F.R., Baldani J.I. Ferreira P.C.G and Hemerly A.S (2003) Signaling pathways mediating the association between sugarcane and endophytic diazotrophic bacteria: a genomic approach. Simbiosys 35, 159-180.