Gibberellins and the Legume-Rhizobium Symbiosis

The content of gibberellin-like substances in nodules formed by Bradyrhizobium species strain 127E14 on roots of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) has been previously found to be relatively high. The objectives of the present study were to purify and identify the endogenous gibberellins from the stems and nodules of lima bean. By sequential silica gel partition column chromatography, C(18) reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the gibberellins A(1), A(3), A(19), A(20), A(29), and A(44) were identified from root nodules. Gibberellins A(1), A(3), A(19), A(20), and A(44) were also identified from lima bean stem tissue. These data provide the first mass spectral-based evidence that gibberellins are present in leguminous root nodules. The presence of the gibberellins identified indicates that the early 13-hydroxylation gibberellin biosynthetic pathway predominates in stem and nodule tissue. However, it is not known if the gibberellins within the nodules are produced in situ, or if they are imported from some remote host plant tissue.