Colonisation of poplar trees by gfp expressing bacterial endophytes

Abstract

With the exception of nitrogen fixing bacteria, there is little known about the colonisation patterns or population sizes of bacterial endophytes in deciduous trees. This study describes the isolation, identification, construction and re-colonisation patterns of three green fluorescent protein(gfp):kanamycin(R) labelled bacterial endophytes when re-introduced into poplar trees, their original host plant. Two of these endophytes showed considerable colonisation in the roots and stems of inoculated plants. gfp expressing cells of all three strains were observed to colonise the xylem tissue of the root. All three strains proved to be efficient rhizosphere colonisers, supporting the theory that the rhizosphere can serve as a source of bacterial endophytes.