A Possible Role for Polyamines in the Repression of Growth of Bradyrhizobium japonicum Bacteroids in Soybean Nodules

Soybean plants (Glycine max L. Merr. cv. Tamahomare) accumulatesufficient putrescine and spermidine in their nodules to inhibitthe growth of bacteroids of Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain138NR. Gas-chromatographic analysis showed that the mature nodulesfrom 35-d-old plants contained approximately 1.5 µmoleseach of putrescine and spermidine per g fresh weight. Water-soluble(free) putrescine and spermidine were present at concentrationsof 0.39 and 0.13 µmoles per g fresh weight, respectively.Cadaverine and spermine were not detected in the nodules. Ina yeast-extract mannitol broth at a pH above 7.0, putrescine,cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine at more than 0.5, 0.2,0.05, and 0.05 mM, respectively, inhibited the growth of thebacteroids. The effect of the polyamines was bactericidal athigher concentrations. More than 95% of bacteroids were notable to form colonies on agar plates that contained 0.5 mM spermidineat pH 7.0. The high sensitivity to polyamines was a unique characteristicof the bacteroidform cells of this strain. The bacteroids losttheir sensitivity to the polyamines within 24 hours after theirisolation from nodules. The cultured cells of this strain multipliedin the presence of 2 mM spermidine or spermine. (Received January 28, 1993; Accepted June 14, 1993)