Bradyrhizobium sp. LVM 105 Genome sequencing and assembly

Partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata, is an annual legume belonging to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Recently, community resources are being developed to facilitate the use C. fasciculate as a complementary legume model for studying the most important questions about legume evolution. This legume enters into symbiosis with rhizobia resulting in the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules. The nodulation process in Chamaecrista is believed to have evolved independently from that of the well-studied members of the subfamily Papilionoideae. Unlike the well-studied symbionts of soybean and alfalfa, very little information exists about the symbionts of Chamaecrista nodules. We have isolated a rhizobia that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of this legume and elucidated its genome sequence. The draft genome sequence of bacterial symbiont of this important legume should lead to a better understanding of the evolution of nitrogen-fixing symbioses in the legumes.