Cell Cycle and Terminal Differentiation in Sinorhizobium meliloti

Sinorhizobium meliloti of the Alphaproteobacteria class has a fascinating spectrum of lifestyles, thriving as a free-living soil saprophyte, as an endophyte, and as a nitrogen-fixing legume symbiont. In symbiosis, it undergoes a striking cellular differentiation process, which is controlled by the host plant through the activity of NCR peptides. NCRs interfere with the cell cycle of S. meliloti and transform the regular cycle consisting of strict successions of single DNA replication followed by cell division into an endoreduplication cycle of multiple genome duplications without divisions. This cellular differentiation results in giant and polyploid symbiotic bacterial cells that fix atmospheric nitrogen. Here we discuss the regulation of the free-living cell cycle in S. meliloti and present the hypothesis that the master regulator CtrA is the ultimate target of the NCR peptides, provoking the cell cycle switch in symbiosis.