Characterization of genetic loci for carbon metabolism and competition for nodule occupancy in Sinorhizobium meliloti

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dc.contributor.authorGeddes, Barney
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteede Kievit, Teresa (Microbiology) Hausner, Georg (Microbiology) Sorensen, John (Chemistry) Charles, Trevor (University of Waterloo)en_US
dc.contributor.supervisorOresnik, Ivan (Microbiology)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-28T20:39:05Z
dc.date.available2014-07-28T20:39:05Z
dc.date.issued2010-10en_US
dc.date.issued2012-08en_US
dc.date.issued2012-09en_US
dc.date.issued2013-02en_US
dc.degree.disciplineMicrobiologyen_US
dc.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)en_US
dc.description.abstractIn agriculture nitrogen fixation by rhizobial inocula is an environmentally and economically beneficial alternative to synthetic fertilization. The effectiveness of rhizobial inocula can be limited by the inability of inoculum strains to compete with indigenous strains for nodule occupancy. Sinorhizobium meliloti fixes nitrogen in a complex symbiotic relationship with legume hosts including the agriculturally important forage Medicago sativa and the model legume Medicago truncatula. The ability to utilize organic compounds has emerged as an important trait for competitiveness for nodule occupancy in S. meliloti and other rhizobia. This thesis describes the use of bacterial genetics to characterize two carbon metabolism loci in S. meliloti. A genetic locus for erythritol catabolism was characterized and shown to encode an ABC transporter that is required for the catabolism of erythritol, adonitol and L-arabitol, as well as the genes for the catabolism of these three polyols. The ability to utilize erythritol was not necessary for the ability to compete for nodule occupancy in S. meliloti, in contrast to Rhizobium leguminosarum. A genetic locus that encodes components of the De Ley-Doudoroff pathway of galactose catabolism was identified and also characterized. The inability to catabolize galactose resulted in an increased ability to compete for nodule occupancy in S. meliloti. Evidence is presented that is consistent with the hypothesis that increased competitiveness resulted from enhanced production of the symbiotic exopolysaccharide succinoglycan. Inferences are drawn that contribute to the broader understanding of rhizobium-legume symbiosis.en_US
dc.description.noteOctober 2014en_US
dc.identifier.citationBMC Microbiology 2013, 13:46 doi:10.1186/1471-2180-13-46en_US
dc.identifier.citationJ. Bacteriol. September 2012 vol. 194 no. 18 pp. 5044-5053en_US
dc.identifier.citationMicrobiology October 2010 vol. 156 no. 10 pp. 2970-2981en_US
dc.identifier.citationMicrobiology August 2012 vol. 158 no. 8 pp. 2180-2191en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/23724
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherMicrobiologyen_US
dc.publisherJournal of Bacteriologyen_US
dc.publisherBMC Microbiologyen_US
dc.rightsopen accessen_US
dc.subjectRhizobiumen_US
dc.subjectMetabolismen_US
dc.subjectCarbonen_US
dc.subjectCompetitionen_US
dc.titleCharacterization of genetic loci for carbon metabolism and competition for nodule occupancy in Sinorhizobium melilotien_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
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