1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase mutants of the plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Pseudomonas putida GR12-2 do not stimulate canola root elongation

The plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Pseudomonas putida GR12-2 was mutagenized with nitrosoguanidine and three separate mutants that were unable to utilize 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) as a sole nitrogen source were selected. These mutants are devoid of the ACC deaminase activity that is present in wild-type P. putida GR12-2 cells. Only wild-type cells, but not any of the ACC deaminase mutants, promoted root elongation of developing canola seedlings under gnotobiotic conditions. These results are interpreted in terms of a model in which P. putida GR12-2 promotes root elongation by binding to germinating seeds and sequesters and hydrolyzes some of the unbound ACC, thereby lowering the level of ACC and hence the endogenous ethylene concentration, allowing the roots to grow longer.Key words: 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate, ACC, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, PGPR, ACC deaminase, bacterial fertilizer.