The Clavata2 genes of pea and Lotus japonicus affect autoregulation of nodulation.

The number of root nodules developing on legume roots after rhizobial infection is controlled by the plant shoot through autoregulation and mutational inactivation of this mechanism leads to hypernodulation. We have characterised the Pisum sativum (pea) Sym28 locus involved in autoregulation and shown that it encodes a protein similar to the Arabidopsis CLAVATA2 (CLV2) protein. Inactivation of the PsClv2 gene in four independent sym28 mutant alleles, carrying premature stop codons, results in hypernodulation of the root and changes to the shoot architecture. In the reproductive phase sym28 shoots develops additional flowers, the stem fasciates, and the normal phyllotaxis is perturbed. Mutational substitution of an amino acid in one leucine rich repeat of the corresponding Lotus japonicus LjCLV2 protein results in increased nodulation. Similarly, down-regulation of the Lotus Clv2 gene by RNAi mediated reduction of the transcript level also resulted in increased nodulation. Gene expression analysis of LjClv2 and Lotus hypernodulation aberrant root formation Har1 (previously shown to regulate nodule numbers) indicated they have overlapping organ expression patterns. However, we were unable to demonstrate a direct protein-protein interaction between LjCLV2 and LjHAR1 proteins in contrast to the situation between equivalent proteins in Arabidopsis. LjHAR1 was localised to the plasma membrane using a YFP fusion whereas LjCLV2-YFP localised to the endoplasmic reticulum when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. This finding is the most likely explanation for the lack of interaction between these two proteins.

The receptor-like kinase KLAVIER mediates systemic regulation of nodulation and non-symbiotic shoot development in Lotus japonicus.

In legumes, the number of symbiotic root nodules is controlled by long-distance communication between the shoot and the root. Mutants defective in this feedback mechanism exhibit a hypernodulating phenotype. Here, we report the identification of a novel leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK), KLAVIER (KLV), which mediates the systemic negative regulation of nodulation in Lotus japonicus. In leaf, KLV is predominantly expressed in the vascular tissues, as with another LRR-RLK gene, HAR1, which also regulates nodule number. A double-mutant analysis indicated that KLV and HAR1 function in the same genetic pathway that governs the negative regulation of nodulation. LjCLE-RS1 and LjCLE-RS2 represent potential root-derived mobile signals for the HAR1-mediated systemic regulation of nodulation. Overexpression of LjCLE-RS1 or LjCLE-RS2 did not suppress the hypernodulation phenotype of the klv mutant, indicating that KLV is required and acts downstream of LjCLE-RS1 and LjCLE-RS2. In addition to the role of KLV in symbiosis, complementation tests and expression analyses indicated that KLV plays multiple roles in shoot development, including maintenance of shoot apical meristem, vascular continuity, shoot growth and promotion of flowering. Biochemical analyses using transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana revealed that KLV has the ability to interact with HAR1 and with itself. Together, these results suggest that the potential KLV-HAR1 receptor complex regulates symbiotic nodule development and that KLV is also a key component in other signal transduction pathways that mediate non-symbiotic shoot development.

Too much love, a root regulator associated with the long-distance control of nodulation in Lotus japonicus.

Legume plants tightly control the development and number of symbiotic root nodules. In Lotus japonicus, this regulation requires HAR1 (a CLAVATA1-like receptor kinase) in the shoots, suggesting that a long-distance communication between the shoots and the roots may exist. To better understand its molecular basis, we isolated and characterized a novel hypernodulating mutant of L. japonicus named too much love (tml). Compared with the wild type, tml mutants produced much more nodules which densely covered a wider range of the roots. Reciprocal grafting showed that tml hypernodulation is determined by the root genotype. Moreover, grafting a har1 shoot onto a tml rootstock did not exhibit any obvious additive effects on the nodule number, which was further supported by double mutational analysis. These observations indicate that a shoot factor HAR1 and a root factor TML participate in the same genetic pathway which governs the long-distance signaling of nodule number control. We also showed that the inhibitory effect of TML on nodulation is likely to be local. Therefore, TML may function downstream of HAR1 and the gene product TML might serve as a receptor or mediator of unknown mobile signal molecules that are transported from the shoots to the roots.

Long-distance signaling to control root nodule number.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is beneficial to legumes. Excessive nodule development, however, disturbs the host growth by over-consuming energy from the plant. To keep a balance, legumes possess a systemic negative feedback regulatory system called 'autoregulation of nodulation', which controls the nodule number and the nodulation zone through long-distance signaling. Plants that are deficient in autoregulation display a hypernodulating phenotype. Recently, genes encoding a CLAVATA1-like receptor-like kinase that mediates autoregulation of nodulation have been identified from several legumes, such as Lotus japonicus and soybean. Other hypernodulation mutants that are regulated by shoot or root genotypes have also been isolated.

klavier (klv), a novel hypernodulation mutant of Lotus japonicus affected in vascular tissue organization and floral induction.

A novel hypernodulation mutant line was isolated from Lotus japonicus Miyakojima MG-20 by irradiation with a helium ion beam. This mutant, named klavier (klv), had roots that were densely covered with small nodules. The nodulation zone of klv was significantly wider than that of the wild type. Grafting experiments showed that klv is impaired in the long-distance shoot-to-root autoregulatory mechanism. Thus the shoot genotype was found to be responsible for the negative regulation of nodule development by KLV. Nodulation of klv showed a higher tolerance to nitrogen (KNO3) than the wild type, which is a common feature of hypernodulating mutants. In addition to an increased number of nodules, the klv mutant showed convex leaf veins on the adaxial leaf surface, markedly delayed flowering and dwarf phenotypes. Microscopic examination of the leaf veins revealed that they were discontinuous. Other phenotypes such as fasciated stems, increased number of flowers and bifurcated pistils were also frequently observed in the klv mutant. Among these phenotypes, hypernodulation, aberrant leaf vein formation and significantly delayed flowering were all linked in a monogenic and recessive manner, indicating that these phenotypes are caused by either a single mutation, or tightly linked mutations. KLV was mapped within 0.29 cM on the long arm of chromosome 1.