''Ensifer numidicus'' is a nitrogen fixing symbiont of

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore forming, rod-shaped bacterium of the family

Rhizobiaceae The Rhizobiaceae is a family of Pseudomonadota comprising multiple subgroups that enhance and hinder plant development. Some bacteria found in the family are used for plant nutrition and collectively make up the rhizobia. Other bacteria such as ' ...

. First described in 2010; more biovars have since been isolated and described with ORS 1407 considered the representative organism. Most examples have been found in arid and infra-arid regions of

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Host plants

Biovars has been shown to induce nodule formation in a wide variety of

symbiosis Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

competent plant species including ''

Medicago Sativa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as we ...

(''cultivated alfalfa)'','' '' Lotus creticus'''','' ''Syrian mesquite(

Prosopis farcta ''Prosopis farcta'', the Syrian mesquite, is a species of the genus '' Prosopis'', growing in and around the Middle East. Botanical details ''Prosopis farcta'' is a below-ground tree. Above ground, it looks like a shrub with a height of 20–1 ...

)'', Lens culinaris Medikus ssp(

lentils The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...

) as well as ''

Cicer arietinum The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, garbanzo, garbanzo bean, or Egypt ...

''(chickpea) and

Argyrolobium uniflorum ''Argyrolobium uniflorum'' is a wild pluriannual herbaceous species of drought tolerant legume found in arid regions of Northern Africa sometimes described as pseudo-savannah. ''A. uniflorum'' is a hardy wild species of plant and it is consider ...

Associated Biovars

: ORS 1407 cultivated alfalfa ''(

Medicago sativa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as we ...

)'' :ORS 1407 '' Lotus creticus: PT26'''','' ORS 1410 Cultivated

(Lens culinaris): ORS 1444 ''

''(chickpea):LBi₂ ''Syrian mesquite(

):''PN14 Known relationships between cultivars This phylogeny is based on a constrained analysis of the

16S ribosomal RNA 16S ribosomal RNA (or 16 S rRNA) is the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome ( SSU rRNA). It binds to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and provides most of the SSU structure. The genes coding for it are referred to as 16S ...

Genome

16s RNA analysis has found ''Ensifer numidicus'' to be closely related to ''Ensifer medicae'' and ''Ensifer garamanticus''. Analogous genes between closely related species suggests high levels of horizontal gene transfer between closely related species. Laboratory inoculation has shown ''Ensifer numidicus'' engages in indeterminate nodulation with host plants in at least some circumstances.

Growth conditions

''E. numidicus'' has been found to grow on yeast-mannitol medium at 28C with an upper limit of 40C. Laboratory cultivated strains have found metabolism of at least 13 substrates including dulcitol, D-lyxose, 1-O-methyl a-D-glucopyranoside, 3-O-methyl-D-glucopyranose,

D-gluconate Gluconic acid is an organic compound with molecular formula C6H12O7 and condensed structural formula HOCH2(CHOH)4CO2H. A white solid, it forms the gluconate anion in neutral aqueous solution. The salts of gluconic acid are known as "gluconates". ...

L-histidine Histidine (symbol His or H) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated –NH3+ form under biological conditions), a carboxylic acid group (which is in the d ...

succinate Succinic acid () is a dicarboxylic acid with the chemical formula (CH2)2(CO2H)2. In living organisms, succinic acid takes the form of an anion, succinate, which has multiple biological roles as a metabolic intermediate being converted into Fuma ...

fumarate Fumaric acid or ''trans''-butenedioic acid is an organic compound with the formula HO2CCH=CHCO2H. A white solid, fumaric acid occurs widely in nature. It has a fruit-like taste and has been used as a food additive. Its E number is E297. The sa ...

ethanolamine Ethanolamine (2-aminoethanol, monoethanolamine, ETA, or MEA) is a naturally occurring organic chemical compound with the formula or . The molecule is bifunctional, containing both a primary amine and a primary alcohol. Ethanolamine is a colorl ...

, DL-b-hydroxybutyrate, L-aspartate, L-alanine and propionate. Sensitivity has been found to salt concentrations greater than 4%. Due to similarities to other Ensifer species, it cannot be described by growth conditions alone and must be differentiated by genetic components.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q62883126 Rhizobiaceae Symbiosis