Biological activity of Nod factors

Dominika  Kidaj; Mikolaj  Krysa; Katarzyna  Susniak; Joanna  Matys; Iwona  Komaniecka; Anna Sroka-Bartnicka

doi:10.18388/abp.2020_5353

Dominika Kidaj Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7299-4065
Mikolaj Krysa Department of Biopharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Chodzki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6853-5528
Katarzyna Susniak Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1360-5901
Joanna Matys Department of Biopharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Chodzki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6892-0896
Iwona Komaniecka Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0807-8083
Anna Sroka-Bartnicka 1Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland; 2Department of Biopharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0739-3567

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18388/abp.2020_5353

Abstract

Chemically, the Nod factors (NFs) are lipochitooligosaccharides, produced mainly by bacteria of the Rhizobium genus. They are the main signaling molecules involved in the initiation of symbiosis between rhizobia and legume plants. Nod factors affect plant tissues at very low concentrations, even as low as 10–12 mol/L. They induce root hair deformation, cortical cell division, and root nodules’ formation in the host plant. At the molecular level, the cytoskeleton is reorganized and expression of genes encoding proteins called nodulins is induced in response to Nod factors in the cell. Action of Nod factors is highly specific because it depends on the structure of a particular Nod factor involved, as well as the plant receptor reacting with it.