Effect of chelating agents on hydrogenase in Azotobacter chroococcum. Evidence that nickel is required for hydrogenase synthesis. |
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| Authors: | C D Partridge and M G Yates |
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| Abstract: | The chelating agents EDTA, o-phenanthroline, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), ethylenediamine-bis(o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) (EDDA) or dimethylglyoxime prevented the expression of hydrogenase activity in batch cultures of nitrogen-fixing Azotobacter chroococcum, but did not inhibit preformed enzyme. The inhibition was reversed either by adding a mixture of trace elements (Cu2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Co2+) or Ni2+ or, to a lesser degree, Co2+ alone. Ni2+ or Ni2+ + Fe2+ also enhanced the rate of hydrogenase derepression in A. chroococcum in the absence of any added chelator, if the medium was first extracted with 8-hydroxyquinoline. A. chroococcum accumulated 63Ni2+ by an energy-independent mechanism. Both, Ni2+ uptake and hydrogenase synthesis were equally inhibited by either NTA, EDTA, EDDA or dimethylglyoxime. The evidence suggests a role for Ni2+ in hydrogenase synthesis. |
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