Lotus japonicus

Lotus japonicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Loteae
Genus: Lotus
Species: L. japonicus
Binomial name
Lotus japonicus
L.
Synonyms

Lotus japonicus (Regel) K. Larsen, Lotus corniculatus L. var. japonicus Regel, Lotus corniculatus var. japonicus[1][2]

Not to be confused with Paris japonica.

Lotus japonicus is a wild legume that belongs to family Fabaceae. Members of this family are very diverse, constituting about 20,000 species. They are of significant agricultural and biological importance as many of the legume species are rich sources of protein and oil and can also fix atmospheric nitrogen.

L. japonicus has become a model plant for genome studies in legumes, particularly in reference to rhizobial and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Small genome size of about 470 Mb, diploid genome with 6 haploid chromosomes, a short life cycle of about 2 to 3 months and its perennial nature makes it a convenient plant to study.[3][4][5]

L. japonicus does have several similar characteristics to the legume Medicago truncatula, but they are phylogenetically different and exhibit two different development systems for nodulation. L. japonicus has determinate nodules[6]

References

  1. ↑ John H. Wiersema. "Lotus japonicus information from NPGS/GRIN". Ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  2. ↑ "Australian Plant Name Index - APNI". Anbg.gov.au. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  3. ↑ Sato, Shusei; Nakamura, Yasukazu; Kaneko, Takakazu; Asamizu, Erika; Kato, Tomohiko; Nakao, Mitsuteru; Sasamoto, Shigemi; Watanabe, Akiko et al. (2008). "Genome Structure of the Legume, Lotus japonicus". DNA Research 15 (4): 227–39. doi:10.1093/dnares/dsn008. PMC 2575887. PMID 18511435.
  4. ↑ Lotus japonicus Handbook Márquez, A.J., Stougaard, J., Udvardi, M., Parniske, M., Spaink, H., Saalbach, G., Webb, J., Chiurazzi, M., Márquez, A.J. (Eds.) 2005
  5. ↑ The Lotus japonicus Genome Tabata, Satoshi, Stougaard, Jens (Eds.) 2014
  6. ↑ Handberg, Kurt; Stougaard, Jens (1992). "Lotus japonicus, an autogamous, diploid legume species for classical and molecular genetics". The Plant Journal 2 (4,): 487–496. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313X.1992.00487.x.