Ebook: Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment: Proceedings of the 14th International Nitrogen Fixation Congress

The 14th International Nitrogen Fixation Congress was held in Beijing, China from October 27th through November 1st, 2004. This volume constitutes the proceedings of the Congress and represents a compilation of the presentations by scientists from more than 30 countries around the World who came to Beijing to discuss the progress made since the last Congress and to exchange ideas and information. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the first Congress held in Pullman, Washington, USA, in 1974. Since then, this series of Congresses has met five times in North America (three in the United States and once each in Canada and Mexico), once in South America (Brazil), four times in Western Europe (once each in Spain, The Netherlands, Germany and France), once in Eastern Europe (Russia), and once in Australia; and now for the first time in Asia. China was a most appropriate choice because China is a big country with the largest population in the World, about 1. 3 billion people, which is about 22% of the World’s population. It is traditionally an agricultural country, even though China has only 7% of the available farming land. This situation explains why agriculture and its productivity are major issues for the Chinese people, its government and the scientists in the field.

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This volume covers all aspects of fundamental and applied nitrogen-fixation research, extending from biochemistry and chemistry through genetics, regulation and physiology to agricultural practice and environmental impact. It describes recent progress on studies of potential catalysts for nitrogen fixation; how the N₂-fixing process is regulated in living cells; the use and impact of genetics and genomics on our understanding of the biological process; the wide variety of associations of nitrogen-fixing microbes with plants, including the formalized Rhizobium-legume and actinorrhizal associations as well as the less formalized associative and endophytic interactions; and the impact of nitrogen fixation in agriculture and forestry, including its effect on the environment. This volume provides an up-to-date referenced source, which can be readily accessed by all practicing and otherwise interested proponents of nitrogen fixation research, including those with related interests in the areas of plant and microbial science, genomics, plant-microbe interactions, genetics and regulation, plant growth and biocontrol, agriculture, forestry, ecology, taxonomy and evolution.

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This volume covers all aspects of fundamental and applied nitrogen-fixation research, extending from biochemistry and chemistry through genetics, regulation and physiology to agricultural practice and environmental impact. It describes recent progress on studies of potential catalysts for nitrogen fixation; how the N₂-fixing process is regulated in living cells; the use and impact of genetics and genomics on our understanding of the biological process; the wide variety of associations of nitrogen-fixing microbes with plants, including the formalized Rhizobium-legume and actinorrhizal associations as well as the less formalized associative and endophytic interactions; and the impact of nitrogen fixation in agriculture and forestry, including its effect on the environment. This volume provides an up-to-date referenced source, which can be readily accessed by all practicing and otherwise interested proponents of nitrogen fixation research, including those with related interests in the areas of plant and microbial science, genomics, plant-microbe interactions, genetics and regulation, plant growth and biocontrol, agriculture, forestry, ecology, taxonomy and evolution.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxiv
Sustainable Agriculture/Forestry and Biological Nitrogen Fixation....Pages 13-17
On the Origin and Evolution of NIF Genes....Pages 21-24
Recent Progress in the Biochemistry of Mo-Nitrogenase....Pages 25-28
MgATP Binding and Hydrolysis in Nitrogenase Catalysis....Pages 29-33
Structural Modeling and Chemical Simulation of the Femoco Active Center of Nitrogenase....Pages 35-38
A Non-Metal System for Nitrogen Fixation Utilizing Buckminsterfullerene....Pages 39-40
Chemical Simulation of the Molybdenum Coordination Mode in the FeMo Cofactor by a Series of Molybdenum- or Tungsten-Polycarboxylate Complexes with Sulfide Bridges....Pages 41-42
Activation of Homocitrate Ligand of Femo-Cofactor as Mimicked by the Coordination of Homocitrato and its Homologues....Pages 43-45
Poster Summaries....Pages 46-49
Genetic Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation: Integration of Multiple Signals....Pages 53-57
The Structural Basis for nif Gene Activation....Pages 59-63
Signal Transduction in Heterocyst Differentiation of the Cyanobacterium Anabaena Sp. PCC 7120....Pages 65-68
PII Signal Transduction in Cyanobacteria: Novel Mechanisms of Global Nitrogen Control....Pages 69-72
Molecular Signal of Nitrogen Starvation, Insight from the Cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120....Pages 73-75
Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation in the Photosynthetic Bacterium Rhodospirillum Rubrum: Roles of GlnD and PII Proteins....Pages 77-78
Functional Analysis of the NifA GAF Domain of Azospirillum brasilense: Effect of Tyr-Phe Mutations in NifA and Interaction of the Mutated Proteins with GlnB Using the Yeast Two-Hybrid System....Pages 79-82
In Memory of Professor Lu Jiaxi....Pages 83-86
A Life Affair with Rhizobia — In Memory of Professor Chen Huakui, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences....Pages 87-88
Mechanism of Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation By NifLA in Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501....Pages 3-6
Rhizobial FixL/FixJ System is a Paradigmn of the Two-Component Signal Transducing Systems: A Two-Cylinder Reciprocating Engine Model of Phosphorylation Reactions....Pages 7-10
Poster Summaries....Pages 89-90
A Report on the Genome of Herbaspirillum seropedicae Strain Z78.....Pages 91-92
Functional Analysis of Genes of Unknown Functions in Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021....Pages 93-94
What Can Bacterial Genome Research Teach Us about Iron Uptake in Sinorhizobium meliloti?....Pages 95-107
Analyzing a Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 ORFeome in a Functional Genomics Platform....Pages 111-114
Proteome Analysis on Bacteroid Differentiation of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110....Pages 115-118
Global Changes in Gene Expression of S. meliloti 1021 Nodule Bacteria in nifA and nifH Mutant Background....Pages 119-122
Toward Deciphering the Genome of Frankia alni Strain ACN14a....Pages 123-125
Poster Summaries....Pages 127-128
Cell Cycle and Symbiosis....Pages 129-130
Expression Pattern of DMI Genes in Medicago Nodules....Pages 131-132
Actinorhizal Symbioses....Pages 133-135
Signaling for Nodulation in a Water-Tolerant Legume....Pages 137-138
Activation and Perception of Calcium Oscillations During Nod Factor Signalling....Pages 139-143
Functional Genomics of the Regulation of Nodule Number in Legumes....Pages 147-151
“Activator” and “Inibitor” Leading to Generation and Stabilization of Symbiotic Organ Development in Legume....Pages 153-155
Regulatory Mechanisms of Symrk Kinase Activity....Pages 157-160
A Method to Enable Continuous Liquid Introduction into an Apoplast of a Soybean-Plantlet Leaf and Its Application to Elucidating the Supernodulation Trait of Nod1-3....Pages 161-164
Amino Acid Cycling by Rhizobium leguminosarum in PEA Nodules....Pages 165-168
Root Nodule Extenins in Infection Thread Development....Pages 169-172
The Expression of the Rhizobium tropici guaB Gene is Required in the Early Stages of Beab Nodulation....Pages 173-178
Does the Type III Secretion System of Rhizobium Species NGR234 Affect the Defence Response in Plant Leaves?....Pages 179-182
Mathematical Modeling for Nodule Size Distribution....Pages 183-185
Cloning and Expression Studies of Furf and Cap F in Frankia Strain R43....Pages 187-188
Characterization of Mutants from Rhizobium Sp. Ngr234 with Defective Exopolysaccharide Synthesis....Pages 189-192
Isolation of Two New Sinorhizobium meliloti Transcriptional Regulators Required for Nodulation....Pages 193-194
Rhizobial Control of Host-Specificity....Pages 195-197
The Sinorhizobium meliloti nifA Exerts Its Signaling Effect for Nodulation in the Host Plants....Pages 199-200
Evolutionary Stability of Rhizobium Mutualism Depends on Legume Host Sanctions....Pages 201-202
Poster Summaries....Pages 203-204
Ecological Significance of Lumichrome and Riboflavin as Signals in the Rhizosphere of Plants....Pages 205-206
Rhizospheric Plant — Microbe Interactions for Sustainable Griculture....Pages 207-208
Enetic Programs for Development of Nodules and Arbuscular Mycorrhiza in Legumes: Solid Facts and Unsolved Problems....Pages 209-210
Microbial Inoculants: A Challenge to Tune the Microbial Metabolites and Signals for Plant Responsiveness in the Field....Pages 211-212
Are Legumes Doing Their Job? The Effect of Herbicides on N2 Fixation in Southern Australian Agricultural Systems....Pages 213-214
Non-Symbiotic Bacterial Diazotrophs in Crop-Farming Systems: Can Their Potential for Plant Growth Promotion be Better Exploited?....Pages 215-216
Effect of Legume Nodule Hydrogen Uptake Status on Hydrogen-Oxidizing Rhizobacteria and the Rotation of Crops....Pages 217-218
Phosphorus Use Efficiency for Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and Its Consequence on Soil P Dynamic....Pages 219-220
Mutational Analysis to Study the Role of Genetic Factors in Pea Adaptation to Stresses during Development Its Symbioses with Rhizobium and Mycorrhizal Fungi....Pages 221-224
Effects of Waterlogging on Nitrogen Fixation of a Supernodulating Soybean Genotype, Sakukei 4....Pages 225-250
Effect of N Application Rate on Nitrogen Fixation and Transfer from Vetch to Barley in Mixed Stand....Pages 253-256
Analysis of Promotive Effects of Deep Placement of Slow Release Fertilizers on Growth and Seed Yield of Soybean by 15N Dilution Method....Pages 257-260
Role of Rhizobial Endophytes as Nitrogen Fixer in Promoting Plant Growth and Productivity of Indian Cultivated Upland Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Plants....Pages 261-263
Growth, Photosynthsis, Nodule Nitrogen and Carbon Fixation in Desi and Kabuli Genotypes of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) under Salt Stress....Pages 265-267
Nodule Co-Occupancy of Agrobacterium and Bradyrhizobium with Potential Benefit to Legume Host....Pages 269-270
Salt Stress Adaptation in Alfalfa Bacteroids: Importance of Proline Betaine....Pages 271-272
Isolation of Genes for Salt Tolerance from Sonorhizobium Lt11....Pages 273-275
Rhizobial Genes Essential for Salt Tolerance....Pages 277-278
Effect of Low PH and Aluminum on the Nodulation Sisgnal Transduction in Medicago Sativa.....Pages 279-281
Further Investigation of the Roles of Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and Glycogen in Sinorhizobium mellioti-Medicago SP. Symbiosis....Pages 283-284
Poster Summaries....Pages 285-286
Diazotrophic Endophytes in Rice: Colonization and Nitrogen Fixation of Herbaspirillum and Clostridium Species....Pages 287-288
New Perspectives of Grass-Associated Nitrogen Fixation....Pages 289-291
Electron Donation and Alternative Nitrogenases in Cyanobacterial Dinitrogen Fixation....Pages 293-294
Role of Unicellular Diazotrophs in Oceanic Nitrogen Fixation....Pages 295-296
New Nitrogen-Fixing Microorganisms from the Oceans: Biological Aspects and Global Implications....Pages 297-299
Biodiversity and Phylogeny of Rhizobial Germplasm in China....Pages 301-302
The Species Paradigm in Bacteriology: From a Crossdisciplinary Species Concept to a New Prokaryotic Species Definition (with Emphasis on Rhizobia)....Pages 303-306
Direct Amplification of Rhizobial nodC Sequences from Soil Total DNA and Comparison to nodC Diversity of Root Nodule Isolates....Pages 307-308
Recent Studies on the Rhizobium-Cereal Association....Pages 309-310
Ascending Migration of Endophytic Rhizobia from Roots to Leaves Inside Rice Plants....Pages 311-312
Evolutionary Implication of Nitrogenase-Like Proteins in the Plant Kingdom and Prospects for nif Gene Transfer in Model Eukaryotes....Pages 313-335
Novel Mimosa-Nodulating Strains of Burkholderia from South America....Pages 339-343
Investigation Approach on Associative Diazotrophs in Plant Microecosystem with a Multi-Field of View....Pages 345-348
Poster Summaries....Pages 349-353
Back Matter....Pages 355-359
....Pages 361-365