Potential roles for the glnB and ntrYX genes in Azospirillum brasilense

Three Azospirillum brasilense mutants constitutive for nitrogen fixation (Nif(C)) in the presence of NH4(+) and deficient in nitrate-dependent growth were used as tools to define the roles of the glnB and ntrYX genes in this organism. Mutant HM14 was complemented for nitrate-dependent growth and NH4(+) regulation of nitrogenase by plasmid pL46 which contains the ntrYX genes of A. brasilense. Mutant HM26 was restored for NH4(+) regulation and nitrate-dependent growth by plasmid pJC1, carrying the A. brasilense glnB gene expressed from a constitutive promoter. Mutant HM053, on the other hand, was not complemented for NH4(+) regulation of nitrogenase and nitrate-dependent growth by both plasmids pJCI and pL46. The levels and control of glutamine synthetase activity of all mutants were not affected by both plasmids pL46 (ntrYX) and pJC1 (glnB). These results support the characterization of strains HM14 as an ntrYX mutant and strain HM26 as a glnB mutant and the involvement of ntrYX and glnB in the regulation of the general nitrogen metabolism in A. brasilense.     

Control of Azospirillum brasilense NifA activity by PII: effect of replacing Tyr residues of the NifA N-terminal domain on NifA activity

It was previously reported that the N-terminal domain of Azospirillum brasilense NifA was a negative regulator of the NifA activity and that the P(II) protein prevented this inhibition under nitrogen fixing conditions. Here, we show that a mutation of a single Tyr residue at position 18 of the N-terminal domain of NifA led to an active NifA protein that did not require P(II) for activation under nitrogen fixation conditions.     

Regulation of nitrogen fixation in Azospirillum brasilense Sp7: Involvement of nifA, glnA and glnB gene products

The expression of nifA-, niH- and nifB-lacZ fusions was examined in different mutants of Azospirillum brasilense. Mutations in nifA, glnA and glnB severely impaired the expression of nifH- and nifB-lacZ fusions. By contrast, a nifA-lacZ fusion was not affected in a nifA or a glnB background and was only partially impaired in glnA mutants. It is proposed that in A. brasilense, the PII protein and glutamine synthetase are involved in a post-translational modification of NifA.     

Mutants of Azospirillum brasilense altered in nitrogen fixation

Abstract Four revertants with Nif⁺ phenotype obtained from asm mutants of Azospirillum brasilense have been studied in respect to nitrogenase, enzymes of ammonia assimilation and utilization of poor nitrogen sources. The results indicate that nitrogenase expression is related to the activity of glutamate synthase and to the adenylylation of glutamine synthetase; moreover, nitrogen fixation seems correlated with the activities of the enzymes involved in the utilization of poor nitrogen sources.     

固氮螺菌的固氮分子调控研究进展

本文对巴西固氮螺菌周氨基因的结构和调控进行综述。其固氮基因的调控可分为两种水平：通过DRAT-DRAG系统的翻译后水平和通过NifA蛋白的转录水平。通过NifA活性进行调控的机理目前尚不明了。     

巴西固氮螺菌Yu62glnB基因的克隆及其功能分析

通过原位杂交从巴西固氮螺菌Yu62的基因文库中,筛选到glnB基因的阳性克隆,将3.7kb/EcoRI PstI的阳性克隆亚克隆到pUC19中,进行了全序列分析,其在GenBank中的登记号是AF323960。DNA序列分析表明该阳性克隆含有完整的glnB基因,glnB基因下游是编码谷氨酰胺合成酶（GS）的glnA基因,glnB基因上游是一个编码未知蛋白的ORF。glnB基因编码区长336bp,编码112个氨基酸,与肺炎克氏杆菌、大豆慢生根瘤菌、豌豆根瘤菌及大肠杆菌在氨基酸顺序的同源性分别高达71%、77%、79%和69%。将卡那霉素抗性片段（Km-cassette)插入glnB基因的BglII位点,通过三亲杂交法将其引入到巴西固氮螺菌Yu62中,通过同源重组,获得GlnB^-突变株（glnB::Km）。为进一步分析glnB基因的功能,将glnB基因的编码区（339bp）构建在pVK100中,置于Km启动子下组成型表达,形成重组质粒pVK-II。将重组质粒pVK-II转入到GlnB^-突变株,构建成互补株C-glnB(glnB:Km/glnB)。对GlnB^-突变株和互补株的固氮酶活性和生长性能的测定表明,GlnB^-突变体无固氮酶活性,即表型为Nif^-;而互补株像野生型菌株一样具有固氮酶活性。突变株、互补株及野生型在菌落生长速度上基本相同。将含有glnB基因的重组质粒pVK-II分别转移到野生型Yu62菌株和具有一定抗铵能力的DraT^-突变标中,使glnB基因的拷贝数增加,并进一步比较它们的固氮酶活性,结果表明多拷贝的glnB基因能显著提高固氮酶活性。     

肺炎克氏杆菌NifA对巴西固氮螺菌nifH启动子的转录激活作用

用PR方法克隆了巴西固氮螺菌Yu62 nifH的启动子片段,DNA序列分析表明菌株Yu62与标准菌株sp7之间的DNA序列差异很小。利用启动子探针质粒载体pcBl82,构建了3个不同的nifH：：lacz转录融合质粒,在大肠杆菌中分别测定肺炎克氏杆菌NifA对它们的转录激活作用。结果表明巴西固氮螺菌nifH启动子的转录是依赖于NifA的,缺失了上游激活序列的启动子不能被NifA激活转录,肺炎克氏杆菌NifA对其自身nifH及巴西固氮螺菌nifH启动子的转录激活作用并无很大差异。     

Plasmid transformation of Azospirillum brasilense

Abstract Plasmid transformation of the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense is described. A modification of the method of Hanahan [1] was used to transform this bacterium with the 20-kb plasmid pRK290. The efficiency of transformation ranged from 200–1000 transformants per μg of plasmid DNA according to DNA concentration. Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺ and K⁺ were essential for competence, while Rb⁺ and hexamine cobalt(III) chloride did not appear necessary. The length and the temperature of heat-pulse during transformation affected the efficiency of transformation. The response to different numbers of plasmid molecules was linear, in the range of 0.05–1.0 μg of DNA. No transformants were obtained with pRK290 plasmid DNA linearized with Eco RI. The transformability of different strains of Azospirillum has been compared.     

Sequencing and complementation analysis of the nifUSV genes from Azospirillum brasilense

The functionality of nitrogenase in diazotrophic bacteria is dependent upon nif genes other than the structural nifH, D, and K genes which encode the enzyme subunit proteins. Such genes are involved in the activation of nif gene expression, maturation of subunit proteins, cofactor biosynthesis, and electron transport. In this work, approximately 5500 base pairs located within the major nif gene cluster of Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 have been sequenced. The deduced open reading frames were compared to the nif gene products of Azotobacter vinelandii and other diazotrophs. This analysis indicates the presence of five ORFs encoding ORF2, nifU, nifS, nifV, and ORF4 in the same sequential organization as found in other organisms. Consensus σ⁵⁴ and NifA binding sites are present in the putative promoter region upstream of ORF2 in the A. brasilense sequence. The nifV gene of A. brasilense but not nifU or nifS complemented corresponding mutants strains of A. vinelandii.     

Strain-specific salt tolerance and osmoregulatory mechanisms in Azospirillum brasilense

Salinity stress inhibits the growth and nitrogen fixation ability of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense. Five strains of A. brasilense were isolated from the rhizosphere of Indian cereals and grasses and identified on the basis of their phenotypic features and 16S rRNA gene sequence. The five Indian isolates and two standard strains of A. brasilense, Sp7 and Cd, showed notable differences in growth, acetylene-reducing activity under salt stress, and ability to take up and use glycine betaine for the restoration of growth and acetylene-reducing activity under salt stress. Salt stress also enhanced the production of exopolysaccharides and cell aggregates, the extent of which varied in different strains of A. brasilense at different carbon to nitrogen ratios in the culture medium. It can be concluded that the production of exopolysaccharides and cell aggregates is a more consistent physiological response of A. brasilense to salt stress than is the uptake and osmoprotection by glycine betaine.     

Effect of nitrogen compounds on nitrogenase activity in Azospirillum brasilense

Abstract The effect of certain nitrogen compounds on nitrogenase activity was studied in cells of Azospirillum brasilense strain Sp6, grown under microaerophilic conditions with nitrogenase fully derepressed. 0.5 mM NH₄Cl, 0.5 mM glutamine, 1.0 mM KNO₃ and 0.1 mM KNO₂ completely blocked nitrogenase activity. 1.0 mM asparagine, 1.0 mM aspartate, 1.0 mM histidine and 1.0 mM adenine did not caused no inhibition of nitrogenase; indeed asparagine, aspartate and histidine showed a slight stimulatory effect on N₂ fixation. The addition of 10 mM dl -methionine- dl -sulphoximine prevented the inhibitory effect of NH₄Cl and glutamine but did not counteract the effect of KNO₂. Rifampicin and chloramphenicol did not prevent the inhibition of nitrogenase by NH₄Cl.     

Regulation of nitrogen fixation (nif) genes of Azospirillum brasilense by nifA and ntr (gln) type gene products

Abstract Eight Nif⁻ mutants of Azospirillum brasilense were obtained by N -nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis and isolated by growth on glutamate medium. Three of these mutants had no nitrogenase activity, possessed no nitrogenase structural proteins and were complemented by Klebsiella pneumoniae nifA . Evidence will be presented that one of these mutants is defective in a nifA type regulatory gene but the other two were also complemented by K. pneumoniae ntrC and may be ntrC⁻ -type mutants. A fourth mutant was defective in the MoFe component protein of nitrogenase.     

巴西固氮螺菌 Yu62 draTG 基因启动子区域的核苷酸序列及其功能分析

对巴西固氮螺菌ｄｒａＴＧ上游区域进行了全序列分析,结果表明该区域除了编码部分ｎｉｆＨ基因外（ｎｉｆＨ与ｄｒａＴＧ转录方向相反）,不编码任何其它已知的基因。但在该区域发现了一些可能的调控序列,它们包括上游激活序列（ＵＡＳ）、下游启动子组份（ＤＰＥ）和富Ａ＋Ｔ区。这说明：ｎｉｆＨ与ｄｒａＴ间的区域可能主要起调控功能而非编码功能;ｄｒａ操纵元的启动子很可能是ＲｐｏＮ－依赖型。用ｐＡＦ３００做载体,构建了     

Azospirillum brasilense glutamine synthetase: influence of the activating metal ions on the enzyme properties

The kinetic properties of the Mg²⁺-activated and Mn²⁺-activated glutamine synthetase (GS) of Azospirillum brasilense in the biosynthetic reaction were studied. The Mg²⁺-supported and Mn²⁺-supported GSs in an average state of adenylylation varied in pH optimum, maximum activity, saturation functions for ammonium and glutamate, affinity to substrates, and in the Me²⁺-ATP ratio required for the optimal enzyme activity. Seventeen other cations were tested for the maintenance of GS activity. The level of the latter and the kinetic behavior of the GS in A.brasilense is suggested to depend essentially on the concentrations of Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺ and Co²⁺, as well as on their ratio     

Effect of congo red on the motility of the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense

In semiliquid laboratory media, the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense migrates with the formation of swarming rings. It is demonstrated that adsorption of the sulfonated azodye Congo Red confers on A. brasilense the ability to consistently spread in a semiliquid agar with formation of microcolonies. Spontaneous variants of A. brasilense with increased swarming rate are described, as well as variants that swarm in the presence of Congo Red. It is assumed that at least two types of compounds are formed, which are necessary for swarming and/or spreading with the formation of microcolonies and are capable of interacting with Congo Red.     

Identification and sequencing of pyrG, the CTP synthetase gene of Azospirillum brasilense Sp7

Abstract An 18.5-kb DNA fragment carrying the trpGDC cluster of Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 was previously cloned, yielding cosmid pAB1005. Attempts to identify trpA in the vicinity of trpGDC failed but led to the detection of a locus strongly homologous to pyrG , the structural gene for the CTP synthetase. The function of the A. brasilense pyrG gene was verified by complementation of the cytidine-requiring PyrG-deficient mutant JF646 of Escherichia coli . A second open reading frame was identified downstream of pyrG . The deduced amino acid sequence showed homology to dienelactone hydrolases of Pseudomonas and Alcaligenes , enzymes involved in utilization of halogenated aromatic compounds.