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Plasmid Plasticity in the Plant-Associated Bacteria of the Genus Azospirillum

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Bacteria in Agrobiology: Plant Growth Responses

Abstract

Multipartite Azospirillum genomes contain numerous plasmids, some of which encode the production of lipopolysaccharides, exopolysaccharides, capsular polysaccharides, components of the motility apparatus, and secondary metabolites important for plant colonization and plant-growth promotion. Several studies have shown that the genomes of A. brasilense, A. lipoferum, and A. irakense are quite dynamic and that some plasmids are involved in major genomic rearrangements. In this review, I briefly discuss the available data on plasmid plasticity in Azospirillum and the influence of this genetic plasticity on bacterial metabolism, motility, production of major cell-surface polymers, biofilm-forming capacity, and resistance to xenobiotics, i.e., the traits potentially important for bacterial survival in soil and phytosphere.

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Acknowledgements

All my past and present colleagues are gratefully acknowledged for contributing to the work on A. brasilense described in this review. This work was supported by grants from the President of the Russian Federation and from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov, 410049, Russia

    Elena I. Katsy

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  1. Elena I. Katsy
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Correspondence to Elena I. Katsy .

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  1. , Dept. of Botany Microbiology, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar (Uttarakhand), 249404, India

    Dinesh K. Maheshwari

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Katsy, E.I. (2011). Plasmid Plasticity in the Plant-Associated Bacteria of the Genus Azospirillum . In: Maheshwari, D. (eds) Bacteria in Agrobiology: Plant Growth Responses. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20332-9_7

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