Quantitative Assessment of Hormogonia Induction in Nostoc punctiforme by a Fluorescent Reporter Strain
While symbiotic plant–cyanobacteria interactions hold significant potential for revolutionizing agricultural practices by reducing the application of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, the genetic underpinnings of the symbiotic interaction between the plant host and the cyanobiont remain poorly unders...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:idus.us.es:11441/175162 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/175162 https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf197 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Anthoceros agrestis Biological Nitrogen fixation Cyanobiont Hormogonia Nostoc punctiforme Plant–cyanobacteria symbiosis |
| Sumario: | While symbiotic plant–cyanobacteria interactions hold significant potential for revolutionizing agricultural practices by reducing the application of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, the genetic underpinnings of the symbiotic interaction between the plant host and the cyanobiont remain poorly understood. In particular, the molecular mechanisms through which host plants induce the formation of motile cyanobacterial filaments (hormogonia), essential for colonization and initiation of symbiosis, are not well characterized. In this study, we present a novel yet objective method for quantifying hormogonia induction, addressing limitations of traditional qualitative approaches. We have developed a reporter strain of Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 capable of quantifying hormogonia induction in response to diverse biotic and abiotic stimuli. This reporter strain, generated via triparental mating conjugation transformation, contains the promoter sequence of prepilin pilA fused to a green fluorescent protein (GFP) and enables quantitative and high-throughput monitoring of hormogonia induction using a microplate reader. Our innovative approach, employing a cyanobacterial hormogonia reporter strain, allows high-throughput screening of the hormogonia-inducing effect of a wide array of environmental and plant signals. This method is expected to greatly advance our understanding of the genetic determinants underpinning plant–cyanobacteria symbioses. |
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