Catabolism of alpha-ketoglutarate by a sucA mutant of Bradyrhizobium japonicum: evidence for an alternative tricarboxylic acid cycle

A complete tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is generally considered necessary for energy production from the dicarboxylic acid substrates malate, succinate, and fumarate. However, a Bradyrhizobium japonicum sucA mutant that is missing alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase is able to grow on malate as its sole source of carbon. This mutant also fixes nitrogen in symbiosis with soybean, where dicarboxylic acids are its principal carbon substrate. Using a flow chamber system to make direct measurements of oxygen consumption and ammonium excretion, we confirmed that bacteroids formed by the sucA mutant displayed wild-type rates of respiration and nitrogen fixation. Despite the absence of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity, whole cells of the mutant were able to decarboxylate alpha-[U-(14)C]ketoglutarate and [U-(14)C]glutamate at rates similar to those of wild-type B. japonicum, indicating that there was an alternative route for alpha-ketoglutarate catabolism. Because cell extracts from B. japonicum decarboxylated [U-(14)C]glutamate very slowly, the gamma-aminobutyrate shunt is unlikely to be the pathway responsible for alpha-ketoglutarate catabolism in the mutant. In contrast, cell extracts from both the wild type and mutant showed a coenzyme A (CoA)-independent alpha-ketoglutarate decarboxylation activity. This activity was independent of pyridine nucleotides and was stimulated by thiamine PP(i). Thin-layer chromatography showed that the product of alpha-ketoglutarate decarboxylation was succinic semialdehyde. The CoA-independent alpha-ketoglutarate decarboxylase, along with succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, may form an alternative pathway for alpha-ketoglutarate catabolism, and this pathway may enhance TCA cycle function during symbiotic nitrogen fixation.     

The Formation of Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteroids Is Delayed but Not Abolished in Soybean Infected by an [alpha]-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase-Deficient Mutant of Bradyrhizobium japonicum

A mutant strain of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 devoid of [alpha]-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity (LSG184) was used to test whether this tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme is necessary to support nitrogen fixation during symbiosis with soybean (Glycine max). LSG184 formed nodules about 5 d later than the wild-type strain, and the nodules, although otherwise normal in structure, contained many fewer infected host cells than is typical. At 19 d after inoculation cells infected with the mutant strain were only partially filled with bacteroids and showed large accumulations of starch, but by 32 d after inoculation the host cells infected with the mutant appeared normal. The onset of nitrogen fixation was delayed about 15 d for plants inoculated with LSG184, and the rate, on a per nodule fresh weight basis, reached only about 20% of normal. However, because nodules formed by LSG184 contained only about 20% of the normal number of bacteroids, it could be inferred that the mutant, on an individual bacteroid basis, was fixing nitrogen at near wild-type rates. Therefore, the loss of [alpha]-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase in B. japonicum does not prevent the formation or the functioning of nitrogen-fixing bacteroids in soybean.     

谷氨酸棒杆菌的乙醛酸循环与谷氨酸合成

为阐明谷氨酸棒杆菌的乙醛酸循环与菌体的生长以及谷氨酸合成之间的关系 ,以谷氨酸棒杆菌基因组测序用典型菌株Corynebacteriumglutamicum ATCC 130 32为出发菌株 ,构建了乙醛酸循环途径缺失的谷氨酸棒杆菌突变株Corynebacteriumglutamicum WTΔA。该菌株没有异柠檬酸裂解酶活性 ,不能在以乙酸盐为唯一碳源的基本培养基上生长。与出发菌株ATCC13032相比 ,WTΔA在以葡萄糖为唯一碳源的培养基上生长时不受影响 ,说明谷氨酸棒杆菌并不需要乙醛酸循环途径提供菌体生长所需的能量和生物合成反应所需的中间产物。但是 ,与出发菌株ATCC13032相比 ,WTΔA的谷氨酸合成能力大幅下降。     

Carbohydrate and organic acid composition of effective and ineffective root nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris

Dicarboxylic acid transport mutants of Rhizobium species are usually deficient in their ability to fix atmospheric dinitrogen. We report here a study comparing the physiology of root nodules on Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Goldie induced by an effective strain of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseoli and a C₄-dicarboxylic acid utilization mutant. The mutant, while able to form nodules, was ineffective in N₂ fixation. Carbohydrates and organic acids of roots and nodules formed by the 2 strains were monitored at 3-day intervals from 13 to 34 days after inoculation. Both carbohydrates and organic acids accumulated in ineffective nodules in comparison with the effective nodules. The concentration of malic acid was tenfold higher in ineffective nodules than in effective nodules. Other organic acids, i.e., lactate, malonate, ascorbate and gluconate, were also detected. Lactate and ascorbate were the only other organic acids accumulating in ineffective nodules. The most prevalent carbohydrates found in both types of nodules were sucrose, glucose and fructose. Myo-inositol was the only cyclitol detected in both types of nodules. Carbohydrates and organic acids were present in lower concentration in roots than in nodules, except for lactate. These compounds were not consistently detected in higher concentration in roots from plants inoculated with the mutant strain, as was the case in nodules.     

Some Characteristics of Central Metabolism in Acinetobacter sp. Grown on Ethanol

Ethanol-grown cells of the mutant Acinetobacter sp. strain 1NG, incapable of producing exopolysaccharides, were analyzed for the activity of enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and some biosynthetic pathways. In spite of the presence of both key enzymes (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) of the glyoxylate cycle, these cells also contained all enzymes of the TCA cycle, which presumably serves biosynthetic functions. This was evident from the high activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase and glutamate dehydrogenase and the low activity of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase. Pyruvate was formed in the reaction catalyzed by oxaloacetate decarboxylase, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) was synthesized by the two key enzymes (PEP carboxykinase and PEP synthase) of gluconeogenesis. The ratio of these enzymes was different in the exponential and the stationary growth phases. The addition of the C₄-dicarboxylic acid fumarate to the ethanol-containing growth medium led to a 1.5- to 2-fold increase in the activity of enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, as well as of fumarate hydratase, malate dehydrogenase, PEP synthase, and PEP carboxykinase (the activity of the latter enzyme increased by more than 7.5 times). The data obtained can be used to improve the biotechnology of production of microbial exopolysaccharide ethapolan on C₂-substrates.     

Subunit structure, expression, and function of NAD(H)-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mitochondrial NAD(H)-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase was purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for analyses of subunit structure and expression. Two subunits of the enzyme with different molecular weights (39,000 and 40,000) and slightly different isoelectric points were resolved by denaturing electrophoretic techniques. Sequence analysis of the purified subunits showed that the polypeptides have different amino termini. By using an antiserum to the native enzyme prepared in rabbits, subunit-specific immunoglobulin G fractions were obtained by affinity purification, indicating that the subunits are also immunochemically distinct. The levels of NAD(H)-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase activity and immunoreactivity were found to correlate closely with those of a second tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme, malate dehydrogenase, in yeast cells grown under a variety of conditions. S. cerevisiae mutants with defects in NAD(H)-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase were identified by screening a collection of yeast mutants with acetate-negative growth phenotypes. Immunochemical assays were used to demonstrate that one mutant strain lacks the 40,000-molecular-weight subunit (IDH1) and that a second strain lacks the 39,000-molecular-weight subunit (IDH2). Mitochondria isolated from the IDH1 and IDH2 mutants exhibited a markedly reduced capacity for utilization of either isocitrate or citrate for respiratory O2 consumption. This confirms an essential role for NAD(H)-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase in oxidative functions in the tricarboxylic acid cycle.     

Properties of Candida lipolytica mutants with the modified glyoxylate cycle and their ability to produce citric and isocitric acid

Summary Enzyme activities of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and the anaplerotic pathways, as well as the cell cytology of two C. lipolytica mutants with the modified glyoxylate cycle and their parent strain were studied during the exponential growth phase on glucose or hexadecane.Among the TCA cycle enzymes, the key enzyme citrate synthase had the highest activity in all three strains grown on both substrates. NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase had the minimum activity. All strains had well-developed mitochondria.Pyruvate carboxylation was active in the wild strain and mutant 2 grown on glucose, where this reaction is the basic anaplerotic pathway for oxal-acetate synthesis; mutant 1 had actively functioning enzymes for both anaplerotic pathways — pyruvate carboxylase, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase.During hexadecane assimilation, the number of peroxisomes in all strains increased sharply, accompanied by a simultaneous increase in isocitrate lyase activity.The low activities of both isocitrate lyase and pyruvate carboxylase in mutant 2 give reason to believe that this strain has an additional pathway for oxalacetic acid synthesis during the assimilation of n-alkane.     

Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding the IDH1 subunit of NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is composed of two nonidentical subunits, designated IDH1 and IDH2. The gene encoding IDH2 was previously cloned and sequenced (Cupp, J.R., and McAlister-Henn, L. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 22199-22205), and in this paper we describe the isolation of a yeast genomic clone containing the IDH1 gene. A fragment of the IDH1 gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction method utilizing degenerate oligonucleotides based on tryptic peptide sequences of the purified subunit; this fragment was used to isolate a full length IDH1 clone. The nucleotide sequence of the IDH1 coding region was determined and encodes a 360-residue polypeptide including an 11-residue mitochondrial targeting presequence. Amino acid sequence comparison between IDH1 and IDH2 reveals a 42% sequence identity, and both IDH1 and IDH2 show approximately 32% identity to Escherichia coli NAD(P)(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase. To examine the function of the IDH1 subunit and to determine the metabolic role of NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase the IDH1 gene was disrupted in a wild type haploid yeast strain and in a haploid strain lacking IDH2. The IDH1 disruption strains expressed no detectable IDH1 as determined by Western blot analysis, and these strains were found to lack NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity indicating that IDH1 is essential for a functional enzyme. Over-expression of IDH1 in a strain containing IDH2 restored wild type activity but did not result in increased levels of activity, suggesting that both IDH1 and IDH2 are required for a functional enzyme. Growth phenotype analysis of the IDH1 disruption strains revealed that they grew at a reduced rate on the nonfermentable carbon sources examined (glycerol, lactate, and acetate), consistent with NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase performing a critical role in oxidative function of the citric acid cycle. In addition, the IDH1 disruption strains grew at wild type rates in the absence of glutamate, indicating that these strains are not glutamate auxotrophs.     

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Soybean Nodulation Using a Supernodulation Mutant,SS2-2

Legumes have the ability to form root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiotic interaction with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. As a first step in dissecting the molecular process of nodulation, proteome reference maps of soybean roots and nodules were constructed. Time course analysis revealed that the transition from root to nodule was accompanied with downregulation of defense-response related proteins, including Mn-superoxide dismutase, peroxidase (Prx), PR10, and stress-induced protein, leading to the initiation of a symbiotic interaction between the two partners. Following nitrogenase biosynthesis, the host plant cooperated with the rhizobia to fix atmospheric nitrogen under microaerobic conditions via expression of leghemoglobins and antioxidant proteins. Comparative proteome analysis indicated lower expression of malate dehydrogenase (MDH), leghemoglobins and nitrogenase in the nodule development of the supernodulation mutant, SS2-2, as compared to the wild type, indicating that SS2-2 forms functionally immature nodules in higher numbers with the lower activity of nitrogen fixation.     

Comparative proteomic analysis of soybean nodulation using a supernodulation mutant, SS2-2

Legumes have the ability to form root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiotic interaction with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. As a first step in dissecting the molecular process of nodulation, proteome reference maps of soybean roots and nodules were constructed. Time course analysis revealed that the transition from root to nodule was accompanied with downregulation of defense-response related proteins, including Mn-superoxide dismutase, peroxidase (Prx), PR10, and stress-induced protein, leading to the initiation of a symbiotic interaction between the two partners. Following nitrogenase biosynthesis, the host plant cooperated with the rhizobia to fix atmospheric nitrogen under microaerobic conditions via expression of leghemoglobins and antioxidant proteins. Comparative proteome analysis indicated lower expression of malate dehydrogenase (MDH), leghemoglobins and nitrogenase in the nodule development of the supernodulation mutant, SS2-2, as compared to the wild type, indicating that SS2-2 forms functionally immature nodules in higher numbers with the lower activity of nitrogen fixation.     

Bradyrhizobium japonicum does not require alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase for growth on succinate or malate.

The sucA gene, encoding the E1 component of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, was cloned from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene shows a codon usage bias typical of non-nif and non-fix genes from this bacterium, with 89.1% of the codons being G or C in the third position. A mutant strain of B. japonicum, LSG184, was constructed with the sucA gene interrupted by a kanamycin resistance marker. LSG184 is devoid of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity, indicating that there is only one copy of sucA in B. japonicum and that it is completely inactivated in the mutant. Batch culture experiments on minimal medium revealed that LSG184 grows well on a variety of carbon substrates, including arabinose, malate, succinate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, glycerol, formate, and galactose. The sucA mutant is not a succinate auxotroph but has a reduced ability to use glutamate as a carbon or nitrogen source and an increased sensitivity to growth inhibition by acetate, relative to the parental strain. Because LSG184 grows well on malate or succinate as its sole carbon source, we conclude that B. japonicum, unlike most other bacteria, does not require an intact tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to meet its energy needs when growing on the four-carbon TCA cycle intermediates. Our data support the idea that B. japonicum has alternate energy-yielding pathways that could potentially compensate for inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase during symbiotic nitrogen fixation under oxygen-limiting conditions.     

Inactivation of Isocitrate Lyase Leads to Increased Production of Medium-Chain-Length Poly(3-Hydroxyalkanoates) in Pseudomonas putida

Medium-chain-length (mcl) poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) are storage polymers that are produced from various substrates and accumulate in Pseudomonas strains belonging to rRNA homology group I. In experiments aimed at increasing PHA production in Pseudomonas strains, we generated an mcl PHA-overproducing mutant of Pseudomonas putida KT2442 by transposon mutagenesis, in which the aceA gene was knocked out. This mutation inactivated the glyoxylate shunt and reduced the in vitro activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase, a rate-limiting enzyme of the citric acid cycle. The genotype of the mutant was confirmed by DNA sequencing, and the phenotype was confirmed by biochemical experiments. The aceA mutant was not able to grow on acetate as a sole carbon source due to disruption of the glyoxylate bypass and exhibited two- to fivefold lower isocitrate dehydrogenase activity than the wild type. During growth on gluconate, the difference between the mean PHA accumulation in the mutant and the mean PHA accumulation in the wild-type strain was 52%, which resulted in a significant increase in the amount of mcl PHA at the end of the exponential phase in the mutant P. putida KT217. On the basis of a stoichiometric flux analysis we predicted that knockout of the glyoxylate pathway in addition to reduced flux through isocitrate dehydrogenase should lead to increased flux into the fatty acid synthesis pathway. Therefore, enhanced carbon flow towards the fatty acid synthesis pathway increased the amount of mcl PHA that could be accumulated by the mutant.     

Citrate synthase mutants of Sinorhizobium fredii USDA257 form ineffective nodules with aberrant ultrastructure

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle plays an important role in generating the energy required by bacteroids to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Citrate synthase is the first enzyme that controls the entry of carbon into the TCA cycle. We cloned and determined the nucleotide sequence of the gltA gene that encodes citrate synthase in Sinorhizobium fredii USDA257, a symbiont of soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) and several other legumes. The deduced citrate synthase protein has a molecular weight of 48,198 and exhibits sequence similarity to citrate synthases from several bacterial species, including Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium tropici. Southern blot analysis revealed that the fast-growing S. fredii strains and Rhizobium sp. strain NGR234 contained a single copy of the gene located in the bacterial chromosome. S. fredii USDA257 gltA mutant HBK-CS1, which had no detectable citrate synthase activity, had diminished nodulation capacity and produced ineffective nodules on soybean. Light and electron microscopy observations revealed that the nodules initiated by HBK-CS1 contained very few bacteroids. The infected cells contained large vacuoles and prominent starch grains. Within the vacuoles, membrane structures that appeared to be reminiscent of disintegrating bacteroids were detected. The citrate synthase mutant had altered cell surface characteristics and produced three times more exopolysaccarides than the wild type produced. A plasmid carrying the USDA257 gltA gene, when introduced into HBK-CS1, was able to restore all of the defects mentioned above. Our results demonstrate that a functional citrate synthase gene of S. fredii USDA257 is essential for efficient soybean nodulation and nitrogen fixation.     

Enzymes of Poly-(beta)-Hydroxybutyrate Metabolism in Soybean and Chickpea Bacteroids

The enzymatic capacity for metabolism of poly-(beta)-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) has been examined in nitrogen-fixing symbioses of soybean (Glycine max L.) plants, which may accumulate substantial amounts of PHB, and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plants, which contain little or no PHB. In the free-living state, both Bradyrhizobium japonicum CB 1809 and Rhizobium sp. (Cicer) CC 1192, which form nodules on soybean and chickpea plants, respectively, produced substantial amounts of PHB. To obtain information on why chickpea bacteroids do not accumulate PHB, the specific activities of enzymes of PHB metabolism (3-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-coenzyme A reductase, PHB depolymerase, and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase), the tricarboxylic acid cycle (malate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase), and related reactions (malic enzyme, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and glutamate:2-oxoglutarate transaminase) were compared in extracts from chickpea and soybean bacteroids and the respective free-living bacteria. Significant differences were noted between soybean and chickpea bacteroids and between the bacteroid and free-living forms of Rhizobium sp. (Cicer) CC 1192, with respect to the capacity for some of these reactions. It is suggested that a greater potential for oxidizing malate to oxaloacetate in chickpea bacteroids may be a factor that favors the utilization of acetyl-coenzyme A in the tricarboxylic acid cycle over PHB synthesis.     

Inactivation of isocitrate lyase leads to increased production of medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) in Pseudomonas putida

Medium-chain-length (mcl) poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) are storage polymers that are produced from various substrates and accumulate in Pseudomonas strains belonging to rRNA homology group I. In experiments aimed at increasing PHA production in Pseudomonas strains, we generated an mcl PHA-overproducing mutant of Pseudomonas putida KT2442 by transposon mutagenesis, in which the aceA gene was knocked out. This mutation inactivated the glyoxylate shunt and reduced the in vitro activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase, a rate-limiting enzyme of the citric acid cycle. The genotype of the mutant was confirmed by DNA sequencing, and the phenotype was confirmed by biochemical experiments. The aceA mutant was not able to grow on acetate as a sole carbon source due to disruption of the glyoxylate bypass and exhibited two- to fivefold lower isocitrate dehydrogenase activity than the wild type. During growth on gluconate, the difference between the mean PHA accumulation in the mutant and the mean PHA accumulation in the wild-type strain was 52%, which resulted in a significant increase in the amount of mcl PHA at the end of the exponential phase in the mutant P. putida KT217. On the basis of a stoichiometric flux analysis we predicted that knockout of the glyoxylate pathway in addition to reduced flux through isocitrate dehydrogenase should lead to increased flux into the fatty acid synthesis pathway. Therefore, enhanced carbon flow towards the fatty acid synthesis pathway increased the amount of mcl PHA that could be accumulated by the mutant.     

Bradyrhizobium japonicum isocitrate dehydrogenase exhibits calcium-dependent hysteresis

Bradyrhizobium japonicum NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase was purified both from cultured cells and from the symbiotic form of the bacteria and was found to be identical in terms of N-terminal amino acid sequence, kinetics, and physicochemical properties. Magnesium and glycerol were absolute requirements for maintaining enzyme activity. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme was more similar to the sequences from soybean and yeast than to other bacterial sequences. There was no immunological cross-reaction of antibodies from B. japonicum isocitrate dehydrogenase to extracts of soybean, pea, or Escherichia coli, but there was detectable, although weak, cross-reaction of antibodies from E. coli with the B. japonicum enzyme. B. japonicum isocitrate dehydrogenase displayed strong inhibition by NADH, indicating that during symbiotic nitrogen fixation the enzyme activity would be markedly reduced in planta. The enzyme displayed a calcium-dependent hysteresis, with a pronounced lag lasting as long as 2 min. Hysteresis was evident at concentrations of magnesium less than 0.5 mM and calcium greater than 1 microM. The hysteresis could be alleviated by excess magnesium or by 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. The results suggest two roles for magnesium during catalysis; one magnesium may be needed to convert the enzyme into the steady-state form and the second needed for chelation of isocitrate for catalysis. The calcium-dependent hysteretic behavior of B. japonicum NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase suggested that this metal could serve as an intracellular regulator during symbiosis.     

Central metabolism in Acinetobacter sp. grown on ethanol

The ethanol-grown cells of the mutant Acinetobacter sp. strain 1NG, incapable of producing exopolysaccharides, were analyzed for the activity of enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and some biosynthetic pathways. In spite of the presence of both key enzymes (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) of the glyoxylate cycle, these cells also contained all enzymes of the TCA cycle, which presumably serves biosynthetic functions. This was evident from the high activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase and glutamate dehydrogenase and the low activity of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase. Pyruvate was formed in the reaction catalyzed by oxaloacetate decarboxylase, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) was synthesized by the two key enzymes (PEP carboxykinase and PEP synthase) of gluconeogenesis. The proportion between these enzymes was different in the exponential and the stationary growth phases. The addition of the C4-dicarboxylic acid fumarate to the ethanol-containing growth medium led to a 1.5- to 2-fold increase in the activity of enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, as well as of fumarate hydratase, malate dehydrogenase, PEP synthase, and PEP carboxykinase (the activity of the latter enzyme increased by more than 7.5 times). The data obtained can be used to improve the biotechnology of production of the microbial exopolysaccharide ethapolan on C2-substrates.     

Isocitrate Dehydrogenase and Glutamate Synthesis in Acetobacter suboxydans

Acetobacter suboxydans is an obligate aerobe for which an operative tricarboxylic acid cycle has not been demonstrated. Glutamate synthesis has been reported to occur by mechanisms other than those utilizing isocitrate dehydrogenase, a tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme not previously detected in this organism. We have recovered alpha-ketoglutarate and glutamate from a system containing citrate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a divalent cation, pyridoxal phosphate, an amino donor, and dialyzed, cell-free extract. Aconitase activity was readily detected in these extracts, but isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, measured by NAD reduction, was masked by a cyanide-resistant, particulate, reduced NAD oxidase. Isocitrate dehydrogenase activity could be demonstrated after centrifuging the extracts at 150,000 x g for 3 hr and treating the supernatant fluid with 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide. It is concluded that A. suboxydans can utilize the conventional tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes to convert citrate to alpha-ketoglutarate which can then undergo a transamination to glutamate.     

Differential accumulation of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins in bean root nodule cells infected with a wild-type strain or a C4-dicarboxylic acid mutant of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli

An antiserum raised against deglycosylated hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HPGPs) from melon (Cucumis melo L.) was used to study the relationship between Rhizobium infection and induction of HRGPs in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) root nodule cells infected with either the wild-type or a C₄-dicarboxylic acid mutant strain of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli. In effective nodules, where fixation of atmospheric dinitrogen is taking place, HRGPs were found to accumulate mainly in the walls of infected cells and in peribacteroid membranes surrounding groups of bacteroids. Internal ramifications of the peribacteroid membrane were also enriched in HRGPs whereas the peribacteroid space as well as the bacteroids themselves were free of these glycoproteins. In mutant-induced root nodules, HRGPs were specifically associated with the electron-dense, laminated structures formed in plastids as a reaction to infection by this mutant. The presence of HRGPs was also detected in the host cytoplasm. The aberrant distribution of HRGPs in infected cells of mutant-induced nodules likely reflects one aspect of the altered host metabolism in relation to peribacteroid-membrane breakdown. The possibility that the antiserum used for HRGP localization may have cross-reacted with ENOD 2 gene products is discussed in relation to amino-acid sequences and sites of accumulation.