Open AccessReduced survival of a RecA‐deficient Sinorhizobium meliloti strain in sterile and non‐sterile soil during heat stress
Author(s) -
Dresing Uwe,
Hagen Margit,
Selbitschka Werner,
Pühler Alfred,
Keller Mathias
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1998.tb00549.x
Subject(s) - biology , sinorhizobium meliloti , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , microcosm , rhizobiaceae , heat stress , symbiosis , bacteria , ecology , genetics , zoology , anatomy
Greenhouse experiments revealed a reduced viability of a RecA − Sinorhizobium meliloti strain in non‐sterile soil during a heat period compared with an isogenic RecA + strain. The higher sensitivity to heat stress of the S. meliloti RecA − strain was demonstrated during short‐ and long‐term heat stress experiments under controlled conditions in a growth cabinet using different microcosm systems. Live/dead staining of the rhizobial cells showed that the increased sensitivity to heat stress of the RecA − S. meliloti strain was due to its higher mortality compared to the isogenic RecA + strain. These results demonstrate for the first time the importance of the recA function for survival of S. meliloti under heat stress conditions in soil.