BACTEROID DIFFERENTIATION IS LINKED TO EVOLUTION OF HIGH DIVERSITY OF SECRETED PEPTIDES IN THE HOST PLANT

2006). In M. truncatula and closely related species (belonging to the IRLC clade, also known as galegoid clade), bacteroids undergo a remarkable differentiation process involving cell enlargement (Figure 1A), increased membrane permeability, inability for cell division, all the while keeping an active metabolism. These elongated bacteria are polynucleoid and endoreduplicated as we demonstrated by flow cytometry and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH; see Figure 1B, C). Differentiation of bacteroids is