华癸根瘤菌7653R中一个RND型药物外排泵的功能表型及调控鉴定

【目的】研究华癸根瘤菌7653R中MCHK_0866和MCHK_0867编码的RND家族外排泵的功能表型。【方法】对外排泵编码基因及候选调控基因在基因组上的结构进行分析。采用测定OD_(600)观察菌株生长曲线的变化。通过测定最低抑菌浓度检测菌株的药物敏感性,RT-PCR检测目的基因经特定物质处理后表达量的变化。通过细菌单杂交系统初步检测外排泵的转录调控。【结果】MCHK_0866和MCHK_0867所编码蛋白共同组成一个RND家族射流泵。缺失该外排泵后,细菌生长曲线在稳定期OD_(600)数值降低,对萘啶酸、四环素和SDS的敏感性发生变化,萘啶酸处理细菌后2个基因的表达量增加。同时,下游属于Tet R转录因子家族的基因MCHK_0869表达产物作用于MCHK_0867的启动子区域。【结论】该外排泵与萘啶酸的运输有关,缺失后自身生长受到影响,表达受到下游转录因子的调控。     

华癸中慢生根瘤菌7653R 3个脂质转运蛋白基因的克隆、突变及共生表型北大核心CSCD

【目的】脂类转移家族蛋白基因编码一类参与脂类转运及代谢的蛋白。本研究旨在构建华癸中慢生根瘤菌3个脂质转运家族蛋白基因的突变株,检测及分析突变体与紫云英共生条件下的表型及功能。【方法】利用生物信息学分析与预测转脂蛋白的结构特征及功能,采用荧光定量技术检测目标基因在自生和共生条件下的表达特性,通过插入突变技术构建目标基因突变株,并进行植物盆栽实验考察其共生表型。【结果】MCHK-5577、MCHK-2172和MCHK-2779基因编码蛋白属于START/RHO alpha_C/PITP/Bet_v1/Cox G/Cal C(SRPBCC)超家族,包含脂类转移结构域,参与脂类转运或代谢,与百脉根等中慢生根瘤菌相应基因的序列相似性达95%以上。这3个基因在共生条件下的表达水平都增高。分别构建了MCHK-5577、MCHK-2172和MCHK-2779基因突变菌株,与野生型菌株7653R相比,接种突变株MCHK-2172mut、MCHK-2779mut和MCHK-5577mut后的植株地上部分生物量和根瘤固氮酶活性显著降低。【结论】华癸中慢生根瘤菌脂质转移家族蛋白基因在共生互作过程中发挥重要作用,突变后明显影响共生固氮表型。本文的实验结果为深入研究脂类转移蛋白在共生固氮作用中的功能机制奠定了基础。     

利用Tn5定位诱变筛选紫云英根瘤菌Exo^—变种

利用Ｔｎ５定位诱变方法,对质粒ｐＪＢＢ５进行Ｔｎ５插入诱变,得到１０个Ｔｎ５在５９ｋｂＢ５外源片段上有不同插入位点的质粒ＴＮ１１,ＴＮ１１２,ＴＮ２２,ＴＮ２３,ＴＮ３１,ＴＮ４１,ＴＮ９１,ＴＮ１０１,ＴＮ１３１,ＴＮ１４１。将Ｔｎ１１等分别转移到已经含有不相容质粒ｐＰＨ１ＪＩ的紫云英根瘤菌１０７菌株中,使之发生同源变换。通过抗性选择及表型鉴别,筛选到３株菌落表型干燥（Ｍｕｃ－）的酸性胞外多糖（ＥＰＳ）合成缺陷菌株（Ｅｘｏ－）１０７（ＴＮ２２）,１０７（ＴＮ１０１）,１０７（ＴＮ１３１）。Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ杂交分析证明这３株变种的Ｔｎ５插入确实是同源交换而不是转座产生,表明经过适当改良的Ｔｎ５定位诱变法可以应用于紫云英根瘤菌Ｅｘｏ－变种的筛选。     

Incompatibility behavior of a symbiotic plasmid pMH7653Rb in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mesorhizobium huakuii</Emphasis> 7653R

Mesorhizobium huakuii strain 7653R harbored two indigenous plasmids named pMH7653Ra and pMH7653Rb. The larger plasmid pMH7653Rb (symbiotic plasmid) was transferred to M. huakuii HN308SR harboring three plasmids: pMHHN308a, pMHHN308b and pMHHN308c, and HN3015SR harboring three plasmids: pMHHN3015a, pMHHN3015b and pMHHN3015c by tri-parent mating. Two stable indigenous plasmids, pMHHN308b and pMHHN308c of HN308SR, were co-eliminated due to the introduction of pMH7653Rb, and the transconjugant was named HN308SRN14. The results implied that pMH7653Rb and pMHHN308b, pMHHN308c were incompatible and might have been ascribed to the same incompatible group. The plasmid profiles of transconjugant HN3015SRN14 showed that the second largest plasmid pMHHN3015b of HN3015SR was cured due to the introduction of pMH7653Rb. The results also implied that pMH7653Rb and pMHHN3015b were incompatible. Results from plant nodulation tests showed that pMH7653Rb could only maintain the nodulation ability in transconjugant HN308SRN14 and its nodule number was more than that of wild strain HN308SR, but could not replace the nitrogen fixation effect of pMHHN308b and pMHHN308c. The plasmid cured mutant HN308SRN14D harboring only pMHHN308a formed null nodules that demonstrated pMHHN308a was relevant to nodulation ability. HN3015SRN14 harboring pMH7653Rb, pMHHN3015a and pMHHN3015c formed null nodules while HN3015SRN14D containing pMHHN3015a and pMHHN3015c lost the nodulation ability. The plasmid replication repC-like gene sequences were detected by a polymerase chain reaction from 7653R, HN308, HN3015, HN308SRN14 and HN3015SRN14. The repC gene sequence similarities of the strains tested attained 99%.     

Strains of Mesorhizobium amorphae and Mesorhizobium tianshanense, carrying symbiotic genes of common chickpea endosymbiotic species, constitute a novel biovar (ciceri) capable of nodulating Cicer arietinum

AIMS: To identify several strains of Mesorhizobium amorphae and Mesorhizobium tianshanense nodulating Cicer arietinum in Spain and Portugal, and to study the symbiotic genes carried by these strains. METHODS AND RESULTS: The sequences of 16S-23S intergenic spacer (ITS), 16S rRNA gene and symbiotic genes nodC and nifH were analysed. According to their 16S rRNA gene and ITS sequences, the strains from this study were identified as M. amorphae and M. tianshanense. The type strains of these species were isolated in China from Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora and Amorpha fruticosa nodules, respectively, and are not capable of nodulating chickpea. These strains carry symbiotic genes, phylogenetically divergent from those of the chickpea isolates, whose nodC and nifH genes showed more than 99% similarity with respect to those from Mesorhizobium ciceri and Mesorhizobium mediterraneum, the two common chickpea nodulating species in Spain and Portugal. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study showed that different symbiotic genes have been acquired by strains from the same species during their coevolution with different legumes in distinct geographical locations. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A new infrasubspecific division named biovar ciceri is proposed within M. amorphae and M. tianshanense to include the strains able to effectively nodulate Cicer arietinum.     

Conservation of type III secretion system genes in Bradyrhizobium isolated from soybean

The distribution of rhcRST genes encoding the type III secretion system (T3SS) in a collection of Bradyrhizobium strains was characterized by PCR and Southern blot hybridization. The polymorphism of the corresponding sequences amplified by PCR was characterized by RFLP and sequencing together with those available in the databank. Genomic group I is characterized by the presence of Bradyrhizobium elkanii strains and group II by the presence of B. japonicum and B. liaoningense strains. Highly conserved T3SS-like genes were detected by PCR in all Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from soybean belonging to genomic group II, and in none of the strains belonging to genomic group I. These data were confirmed by Southern blot hybridization that further indicated the presence of sequences showing similarity to the rhcRST sequence in B. elkanii strains. The high level of conservation of rhcRST among Bradyrhizobia of genomic group II and sharing the same host-plant suggests that T3SS-like genes might have undergone horizontal genetic transfer within this genomic group. When considering the three Rhizobiaceae genera, a clear congruence was recorded between the rhcRST, rRNA gene and ITS sequences in bacteria harbouring sequences encoding T3SS, suggesting a relatively ancient emergence of the T3SS in these genera.     

The quorum-sensing system in a plant bacterium Mesorhizobium huakuii affects growth rate and symbiotic nodulation

Mesorhizobium huakuii is a free-living bacterium which is capable of establishing a specific symbiotic relationship with Astragalus sinicus, an important winter green manure widely used in Eastern Asia, allowing for nitrogen fixing during this process. Previous studies demonstrate that M.␣huakuii produces quorum-sensing molecules at high cell density and quorum sensing plays a role in biofilm formations. In this study, we isolated and characterized two quorum-sensing deficient mutants in M. huakuii. Analysis of the flanking region of transposon insertions indicated that autoinducer synthase related genes are not homologous to acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) synthase genes that are shared among many Gram-negative bacteria, but related to peptide synthesis, indicating that M. huakuii quorum-sensing signals are distinct from AHLs. Compared with the wild-type strains, these quorum-sensing deficient mutants promoted their growth rate and were defective in nodule formation on host plants, indicative of a critical role of quorum sensing in M.␣huakuii during the host–bacterium symbiotic interaction.Yijing Gao and Zengtao Zhong contributed equally to this work.     

The function of three indigenous plasmids in Mtesorhizobium huakuii 2020 and its symbiotic interaction with Sym pJB5JI of Rhizobium leguminosarum

A Mesorhizobium huakuii strain 2020, isolated from a rice-growing field in southern China, contains three indigenous plasmids named p2020a, p2020b and p2020c, respectively. The plasmids were deleted via Tn5-sacB insertion, and two cured derivatives were obtained. Interestingly, the mutant 2020D29 curing of p2020c could significantly enhance the capacity of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. But the mutant 2020D8 curing of p2020b lost the ability to nodulate Astragalus sinicus. Furthermore, the third plasmid p2020a could be hardly eliminated, suggesting that some house-keeping genes necessary for strain growth located on this plasmid. Then the Sym plasmid pJB5JI of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae was transferred into 2020 and its cured derivatives. The pot plant test showed that the ability of competition and symbiotic nitrogen fixation of transconjugant 2020-137 (pJB5JI) was increased evidently in con-trast to 2020. pJB5JI could not restore the ability of 2020D8 to nodulate Astragalus sinicus. 2020D8-8 (pJB5JI) could form ineffective nodules on peas, which implied that the symbiotic plasmid pJB5JI could express its function at the chromosomal background of Mesorhizobium huakuii 2020. The plas-mid stability was checked in transconjugants under free-living and during symbiosis. The results indi-cated that pJB5JI failed to be detected in some nodule isolates. That Km resistance gene could be am-plified from all transconjugants and nodule isolates suggested that pJB5JI was fully or partially inte-grated into the chromosome of recipients.     

Incompatibility behavior of a megaplasmid pMhHN3015c in Mesorhizobium huakuii HN3015

The Tn5-sacB-labeled symbiotic megaplasmid pMhHN3015c of Mesorhizobium huakuii HN3015 was, respectively, transferred into M. huakuii HN308SR containing three large plasmids of pMhHN308a, pMhHN308b and pMhHN308c, and 7653R-1SR, a symbiotic plasmid pMh7653Rb deleted mutant from M. huakuii 7653R by tri-parent mating. The stable indigenous plasmid pMhHN308c of HN308SR was cured by the introduction of pMhHN3015c and the transconjugant was named as HN308SRN18. The results implied that pMhHN3015c and pMhHN308c were incompatible and might be ascribed to the same incompatibility group. Furthermore, the results from plasmid curing tests of HN308SRN18 containing pMhHN3015c, pMhHN308b, and pMhHN308a showed that not only was pMhHN3015c deleted, but that pMhHN308a was also cured simultaneously. The plasmid profiles of transconjugant 7653R-1SRN18 showed pMhHN3015c could coexist with pMh7563Ra. The plasmid replication repC-like gene sequences were detected by polymerase chain reaction from 7653R-1SRN18, HN308SRN18 and its plasmid-curing derivatives, but failed to detect from plasmid-curing derivatives of 7653R-1SRN18. The repC gene sequence similarities of strains tested were up to 99%. Results from plant nodulation tests showed that introduction of pMhHN3015c failed to restore the nitrogen fixation ability of HN308SRN18 and 7653R-1SRN18.