B06
Sequence adaptation of Symbiosis Receptor-like Kinase (SymRK) enabling nitrogen-fixing root nodule development
SymRK is a receptor kinase essential for the development of both arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and root nodule symbiosis (RNS). In the course of evolution, SymRK has undergone a sequence adaptation that is required for an additional function, namely the development of RNS. Symrk mutants of the legume Lotus japonicus cannot develop AM and RNS. While SymRK orthologs from all tested flowering plants restored the ability to develop AM in this mutant, this was only possible for the RNS with SymRK orthologs from the Eurosid clade. In this project, the sequence differences between SymRK orthologs that are critical for this additional function - and their mechanistic consequences - will be identified.
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Martin Parniske, Institute of Genetics, Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität Munich