This genus was originally named by Jørgen Brunchorst, in 1886 to honor the German biologist Albert Bernhard Frank.[4] Brunchorst considered the organism he had identified to be a filamentous fungus. Jan-Hendrik Becking (de) redefined the genus in 1970 as containing prokaryoticactinomycetes and created the family Frankiaceae within the Actinomycetales. He retained the original name of Frankia for the genus.[5]
Most Frankiastrains are specific to different plant species. The bacteria are filamentous and convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia via the enzymenitrogenase, a process known as nitrogen fixation. They do this while living in root nodules on actinorhizal plants. The bacteria can supply most or all of the nitrogen requirements of the host plant. As a result, actinorhizal plants colonise and often thrive in soils that are low in plant nutrients.[6]
Several Frankia genomes are now available which may help clarify how the symbiosis between prokaryote and plant evolved, how the environmental and geographical adaptations occurred, the metabolic diversity, and the horizontal gene flow among the symbiotic prokaryotes.[6]
Frankia can resist low concentration of heavy metals such as, Cu, Co, and Zn.[7]Frankia may be an advantage for degraded soil. Degraded soil is known as soil that is heavy metal rich or nutrient depleted due to a drought. Frankia is a nitrogen-fixed organism, explaining why it is able to resist heavy metals.[8][clarification needed]
Frankia is a gram-positive Bacteria that is found on the roots of plants. The fact that Frankia is gram-positive means that the bacteria is made up of thick cell walls made out of protein called peptidologlycan. This helps with the resistance of the heavy metals that may be in the degraded soil.[9]
Frankia tolerates a narrow range of temperatures and soil pH levels. It grows best at around 30 degrees Celsius with an environment pH between 6.5 and 7.[10] These facts shows that Frankia is very sensitive to its environment. Though Frankia would not be suitable for all agriculture it does demonstrate possibilities in select areas, or in temperature controlled environments.[citation needed]
↑Brunchorst J. (1886). "Über einige Wurzelanschwellungen, besonders diejenigen von Alnus und den Elaegnaceen". Untersuchungen aus dem botanischen Institut in Tübingen [Investigations of the Botanical Institute in Tübingen ]2 (151–177).
↑Becking JH. (1970). "Frankiaceae fam. nov. (Actinomycetales) with one new combination and six new species of the genus Frankia Brunchorst 1886, 174". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology20: 201–220. doi:10.1099/00207713-20-2-201.
↑Abdel‐lateif, Khalid Salah El dein; Mansour, Samira R.; El‐Badawy, Mohamed F.; Shohayeb, Mohamed M. (2018). "Isolation and molecular characterization of Frankia strains resistant to some heavy metals". Journal of Basic Microbiology58 (9): 720–729. doi:10.1002/jobm.201800122. ISSN1521-4028. PMID29962068.
↑El dein Abdel-lateif, Khalid Salah; Mansour, Samira R.; El-Badawy, Mohamed F.; Shohayeb, Mohamed M. (September 2018). "Isolation and molecular characterization of Frankia strains resistant to some heavy metals". Journal of Basic Microbiology58 (9): 720–729. doi:10.1002/jobm.201800122. PMID29962068.
↑Nouioui, Imen; Ghodhbane-Gtari, Faten; del Carmen Montero-Calasanz, Maria; Rohde, Manfred; Tisa, Louis S.; Gtari, Maher; Klenk, Hans-Peter (2017-03-01). "Frankia inefficax sp. nov., an actinobacterial endophyte inducing ineffective, non nitrogen-fixing, root nodules on its actinorhizal host plants". Antonie van Leeuwenhoek110 (3): 313–320. doi:10.1007/s10482-016-0801-7. ISSN1572-9699. PMID27830471.
↑Srivastava, Amrita; Singh, Anumeha; Singh, Satya S.; Mishra, Arun K. (2017-04-16). "Salt stress–induced changes in antioxidative defense system and proteome profiles of salt-tolerant and sensitive Frankia strains". Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A52 (5): 420–428. doi:10.1080/10934529.2016.1270672. ISSN1093-4529. PMID28085556.
↑Schwintzer, C. R.; Tjepkema, J. (1990). The Biology of Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN978-0126332100.
↑Normand, P; Nouioui, I; Pujic, P; Fournier, P; Dubost, A; Schwob, G; Klenk, HP; Nguyen, A et al. (2018). "Frankia canadensis sp. nov., isolated from root nodules of Alnus incana subspecies rugosa". Int J Syst Evol Microbiol68 (9): 3001–3011. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.002939. PMID30059001.
↑Normand P; Nguyen, T.V.; Battenberg, K; Berry, A.M.; Heuvel, B.V.; Fernandez, M.P.; Pawlowski, K. (2017). "Proposal of "Candidatus Frankia californiensis", the uncultured symbiont in nitrogen-fixing root nodules of a phylogenetically broad group of hosts endemic to western North America". Int J Syst Evol Microbiol67 (10): 3706–3715. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.002147. PMID28884663.