Bacteria Genomes - BRADYRHIZOBIUM JAPONICUM

Bradyrhizobium japonicum is a Gram-negative microbe that lives on the roots of the soybean plant. It forms nodules that provide the plant with the nitrogen it needs to grow and in return, the microbe receives a steady supply of carbon and shelter.

This natural partnership is good for agriculture. The bacterium makes the soybean more productive without the use of chemical fertilisers, which can be expensive and contaminate groundwater. This bacterium acquires nitrogen for millions of acres of soybeans worldwide.

Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain USDA110, which was originally isolated from soybean nodules in Florida, USA in 1957, has been widely used for the purpose of molecular genetics, physiology, and ecology, because this strain is superior at symbiotic nitrogen fixation with soybeans compared with other strains. This research could lead to modified organisms that produce even greater yields of soybeans.

References:

DNA Res. 9:189-197(2003)
DNA Res. 9:225-256(2003)
http://www.kazusa.or.jp/rhizobase/Bradyrhizobium/about.html
http://gnn.tigr.org/articles/02_03/roots_art.shtml