Montpellier Scientific Community



Laboratory of tropical and Mediterranean symbioses (LSTM)

Director: Michel Lebrun
Website :
Research area
The Laboratory of tropical and Mediterranean symbioses research unit (LSTM) is centred on the characterisation and analysis of the biodiversity of symbiotic microorganisms and on gaining understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in plant/bacterium interactions. The main lines addressed are the characterisation of the biodiversity of symbioses in Mediterranean and tropical ecosystems and understanding the structure and evolution of the genetic diversity of symbiotic bacterial populations, the development of a genomic technique for photosynthetic Bradyrhizobium, characterisation of a new symbiotic pathway and the decoding of plant signalling pathways in response to bacteria.
Research highlights
The scientific targets of the LSTM include undertaking fundamental and applied research on the biology, ecology and use of plant-microorganism symbioses in tropical and Mediterranean areas. During the last years, the LSTM major results have contributed to the international repute of the unit, such as the discovery of symbiotic beta-proteobacteria, the description of the phytochrome and photosystem synthesis in an anoxygenic bacteria, discovery of new recognition mechanisms between plant and bacteria, and more generally several studies including bacterial diversity and relationships among plant, bacteria and fungi in various ecological frame.
Staff profile
Total permanent staff Total Scientists* Scientists with "HDR" [1] Post-doc fellows PhD
36
26
13
1
7
*Scientists per member institution: 5 CIRAD, 2 INRA, 1 Montpellier SupAgro, 13 IRD, 4 UM II, 1 Univ. Antilles-Guyane
[1]French university degree for confirmed thesis supervisor
Research teams
  • Ecology and molecular physiology of photosynthetic
  • Bradyrhizobia Biodiversity and symbiosis evolution
  • Plant response to microorganisms
  • Plant and microorganism adaptation to nickel
  • Functioning of ecosystems
Platforms and other tools
15N and 13C mass spectroscopy
Microscopy and imaging common service
Real Time Quantitative PCR
Most important international partnerships
  • Microbiology Laboratory, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal
  • National Center for Soybean Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, USA
  • Rhizobiology Laboratory, University of Oran Es-Senia, Algeria
  • Symbiosis and Environment Unit, University Caddi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco.
Facts and figures
Publications in international ranking journals
2007: 32
2006: 32
2005: 40
Representative publications
Giraud E., Moulin L., D. Vallenet, V. Barbe, E. Cytryn, J-C. Avarre, M. Jaubert, D. Simon, F. Cartieaux, Y. Prin, G. Bena, L. Hannibal, J. Fardoux, M. Kojadinovic, L. Vuillet, A. Lajus, S. Cruveiller, Z. Rouy, S. Mangenot, B. Segurens, C. Dossat, W. L. Franck, W-S. Chang, E. Saunders, D. Bruce, P. Richardson, P. Normand, B. Dreyfus, D. Pignol, G. Stacey, D. Emerich, A. Vermeglio, C. Medigue, And M. Sadowsky. (2007). Legumes Symbioses: Absence of Nod Genes in Photosynthetic Bradyrhizobia. Science 316: 1307-1312

Bailly X, I Olivieri, B Brunel, J-C Cleyet-Marel, and G Béna. (2007). Horizontal gene transfer and homologous recombination drive the evolution of the nitrogen-fixing symbionts of Medicago species. J. Bacteriol 189: 5223-5236.

Duponnois, R., Plenchette, C., Prin, Y., Ducousso, M., Kisa, M., Bâ, A.M. & Galiana, A. (2006). Use of mycorrhizal inoculation to improve reafforestation process with Australian Acacia in Sahelian ecozones. Ecological engineering. 29: 105-112.

Rasolomampianina, R., Bailly, X., Fetiarison, R., Rabevohitra, R. Bena, G., Ramaroson, L., Raherimandimby, M. Moulin, L., De Lajudie, P., Dreyfus, B., Avarre, J.C. (2005). Nitrogen fixing nodules from rose wood legume trees (Dalbergia spp.) endemic to Madagascar host seven different genera belonging to a and b-proteobacteria. Molecular Ecology. 14: 4135-4146.

Mantelin, S., Desbrosses, G., Larcher, M., Tranbarger, T., Cleyet-Marel, JC., Touraine, B. (2006). Nitrate Dependent control of root architecture and N nutrition are altered by a plant growth-promoting Phyllobacterium sp. Planta. 223: 591-603.