NCR peptides in plant–bacterial symbiosis: applications and importance.

While establishing symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria certain legumes produce nodule-specific cysteine rich peptides. These peptides turn the bacteria into terminally differentiated non-replicative bacteroids. Here, we discuss the properties, essentiality, emerging clinical and agricultural applications, and the need to study the detailed mechanism of action of these peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]