The Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 MucR1 Global Regulator Is Connected With the nod Regulon and Is Required for Efficient Symbiosis With Lotus burttii and Glycine max cv. Williams

Abstract

Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 is a rhizobial strain showing a broad host range of nodulation. In addition to the induction of bacterial nodulation genes, transition from a free-living to a symbiotic state requires complex genetic expression changes with the participation of global regulators. We have analyzed the role of the zinc-finger transcriptional regulator MucR1 from S. fredii HH103 under both free-living conditions and symbiosis with two HH103 host plants, Glycine max and Lotus burttii. Inactivation of HH103 mucR1 led to a severe decrease in exopolysaccharide (EPS) biosynthesis but enhanced production of external cyclic glucans (CG). This mutant also showed increased cell aggregation capacity as well as a drastic reduction in nitrogen-fixation capacity with G. max and L. burttii. However, in these two legumes, the number of nodules induced by the mucR1 mutant was significantly increased and decreased, respectively, with respect to the wild-type strain, indicating that MucR1 can differently affect nodulation depending on the host plant. RNA-Seq analysis carried out in the absence and the presence of flavonoids showed that MucR1 controls the expression of hundreds of genes (including some related to EPS production and CG transport), some of them being related to the nod regulon.