中华根瘤菌NP1腺苷酸激酶基因的克隆与功能鉴定

以中华根瘤菌NP1（Sinorhizobium sp. NP1）为原始菌株,通过同源克隆的方法,获得了579 bp的腺苷酸激酶基因（adk）全长序列. 该基因编码192个氨基酸,其二级结构和三级结构与Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 ADK的二级结构和三级结构相似. 以表达载体pET21b为原始载体,构建成NP1 adk原核表达载体pET21b-adk,转化E.coli BL21菌株, SDS-PAGE检测表明：adk基因获得高效表达. HPLC测定证实：重组表达菌中ATP含量约为对照的1.3倍. 上述结果证明本实验中所克隆的腺苷酸激酶基因具增强ATP合成的功能.     

西北地区天蓝苜蓿根瘤菌16S rDNA RFLP分析

利用RFLP和序列测定方法,对分离自西北地区的67株天蓝苜蓿根瘤菌16S rDNA进行了分析研究。结果表明:所有供试菌株分别归属于中华根瘤菌属(Sinorhizobium)、根瘤菌属(Rhizobium)和土壤杆菌属(Agrobac-terium)。以CCNWNX0042-2为代表的大部分天蓝苜蓿根瘤菌属于草木樨中华根瘤菌(Sinorhizobium meliloti),其余菌株在分群上表现出了较为明显的地域特征。     

一株能在大豆上结瘤的苜蓿中华根瘤菌

苜蓿中华根瘤菌(Sinorhizobium meliloti)XJ96077分离自新疆的苜蓿根瘤中,其原宿主为紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa)。交叉结瘤试验发现,它既可在苜蓿上又能在大豆上结瘤固氮。DNA(G C)mol％分析表明,XJ96077的DNA(G C)mol％为61．9％,与已报道的根瘤菌属的DNA(G C)mol％范围(59％-64％)相符。DNA同源性分析表明,XJ96077与苜蓿中华根瘤菌USDA1002^T和042BM的同源性分别达到93％和80％,说明XJ96077归属于苜蓿中华根瘤菌。应用绿色荧光蛋白基因标记XJ96077,得到重组菌株XJ96077(G)。将其接种普通紫花苜蓿,通过激光共聚焦荧光显微镜可以检测到标记基因的表达。接种北引1号大豆上,同样可以清楚地观察到标记基因在根瘤中的表达,从而确证了XJ96077能同时在苜蓿和大豆上结瘤。通过不同品种大豆的结瘤试验,发现XJ96077对大豆品种的结瘤能力不同。     

不同紫花苜蓿品种根瘤菌遗传多样性的PCR-SSCP分析

用PCR-SSCP方法对分离自23个紫花苜蓿品种的42株供试根瘤菌和2株苜蓿根瘤菌参比菌株Sinorhi-zobium meliloti、Sinorhizobium medica进行遗传多样性分析.结果表明,供试的紫花苜蓿根瘤菌存在丰富的遗传多样性,在16S rDNA的V2~V3区段中有12种不同的等位基因,V4~V5区段有13种不同的等位基因,基因型27个;大部分供试菌株的基因型各不相同,来自同一品种菌株之间表现出不同的基因型,来自不同品种的菌株却表现出相同的基因型;9株供试菌株在V2~V3区段的基因型与参比菌株S.meliloti相同,所有供试菌株的基因型与参比菌株S.medica都不同.     

磷脂酰丝氨酸合成酶基因pss的克隆与表达

磷脂酰丝氨酸合成酶能催化转酯反应,是定向合成特定磷脂类物质特别是磷脂酰丝氨酸的工具酶,但出发菌株产量低,很大程度上限制了酶法合成磷脂酰丝氨酸的工业化应用。利用表达载体pET-22b,实现了大肠杆菌磷脂酰丝氨酸合成酶基因在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中的同源高效表达。利用镍亲和柱对表达产物进行纯化,并用HPLC法对纯化后的重组酶的活力进行检测。结果表明,目的蛋白可在短时间内进行大量表达,蛋白含量是出发菌株的100倍,同时经6h的转酯反应转化率达到33%,重组磷脂酰丝氨酸合成酶活力达到69U/mg蛋白。     

苜蓿中华根瘤菌(Sinorhizobium meliloti)LuxR家族转录因子ExpR调节motC操纵子的表达

目前已知苜蓿中华根瘤菌(S.meliloti)Rm1021 ExpR 突变导致胞外多糖Ⅱ(EPSⅡ)的过量表达,而胞外多糖是根瘤菌成功侵染宿主植物形成有效根瘤必需的物质。软琼脂板实验发现ExpR 突变株运动能力有缺陷。但是鞭毛染色实验并没有检测到突变株的鞭毛与野生型有什么不同。通过启动子-lacZ融合子进一步研究突变株中基因表达的差异发现,ExpR以细胞密度依赖的方式调节motC操纵子的表达。由此可见,在苜蓿中华根瘤菌中,ExpR同时参与了胞外多糖Ⅱ的合成和细胞运动能力的调节。     

草木樨属根瘤菌的16S rDNA-RFLP分析

采用16S rDNA-RFLP分析方法对草木樨属根瘤菌进行了遗传多样性及系统分类研究。结果表明,3种限制性内切酶(HaeⅢ、HinfⅠ、MspⅠ)对所有供试菌株的酶切图谱类型组合只有2种。类型I的代表菌株CC-NWSX0003-1与豌豆根瘤菌(R.leguminosarum)的模式菌株USDA2370的序列相似性达到99.8%,在分类地位上属于根瘤菌属(Rhizobium)分支;类型Ⅱ的代表菌株CCNWGS0006与草木樨中华根瘤菌(Sinorhizobium meliloti)的16S rDNA相似性为100%,属于中华根瘤菌属(Sinorhizobium)分支。     

紫花苜蓿内生和非内生根瘤菌多样性及共生差异

【背景】对根瘤菌多样性的研究有助于推进根瘤菌种质资源的利用。【目的】研究紫花苜蓿内生和非内生根瘤菌的表型和遗传多样性,比较菌株在5个苜蓿品种上的共生效应,验证根瘤菌群体共生效应由苜蓿品种决定的假设。【方法】从甘肃省白银会宁旱作区、兰州安宁灌区、武威凉州灌区3个栽培区域的陇中、清水、WL168HQ、甘农3号、甘农9号等紫花苜蓿品种中分离内生(植株种子、花、叶、茎、根表皮、根中柱和根瘤)和非内生(根际土壤和田间土壤)根瘤菌菌株,通过表型数值分类、 16SrRNA基因限制性片段长度多态性(Restrictionfragmentlengthpolymorphism,RFLP)、16S rRNA基因测序、持家基因多位点序列分型(Multilocus sequence typing,MLST),以及结瘤基因nodC和固氮基因nifH片段序列测定,研究紫花苜蓿根瘤菌的表型和遗传多样性,并采用主成分分析研究根瘤菌菌株在5个紫花苜蓿品种上的共生效应差异。【结果】共分离得到43株内生根瘤菌和10株非内生根瘤菌,叶片和花中没有分离到根瘤菌菌株。53株根瘤菌以及对照菌株R.GN5和S.12531表型特征数值分类聚为8个群,菌株表型多样性丰富。经16SrRNA-RFLP分析共形成22种RFLP分型组合,基因型Ⅰ分布最广泛(24),其次为基因型Ⅻ(5)、ⅩⅤ(5)和ⅩⅨ(3),其余16株菌各代表1种基因型,菌株遗传多样性丰富。16S rRNA基因测序和MLST分析将所有菌株划分为Rhizobiumradiobacter、R.rosettiformans和Ensifermeliloti。仅从7株E.meliloti代表菌株和对照菌株S.12531中扩增到nodC和nifH基因,说明E.meliloti菌株均能结瘤固氮。E.meliloti菌株G3L3接种甘农3号,LP3、LL1和LL2接种陇中,QL2接种清水,LL1、LL2和WLP2接种WL169HQ苜蓿均能显著促进植株的单株结瘤数、地上干重和粗蛋白含量。E.meliloti菌株接种甘农3号、甘农9号和清水苜蓿品种后所有参数值在PC1轴上分别聚在-1-1之间,在PC3轴上聚在-1.5-1.5之间;接种陇中和WL168HQ苜蓿的参数值较分散,PC1轴上分散在-1.5-4之间,PC3轴上分散在-3-4之间。【结论】紫花苜蓿内生和非内生根瘤菌菌株多样性丰富,表型和遗传多样性与其来源没有直接关系。菌株G3L3与甘农3号,LP3、LL1、LL2与陇中,QL2与清水、LL1、LL2、WLP2与WL169HQ苜蓿品种共生匹配和适应能力强。在甘农3号、甘农9号和清水紫花苜蓿品种上群体共生效应相似,在陇中和WL168HQ紫花苜蓿上共生效应差异明显。本研究内生和非内生根瘤菌菌株的群体共生效应根据苜蓿品种而定,根瘤菌菌株与苜蓿品种间的信号识别程度存在差异。     

苜蓿中华根瘤菌Sm NifA蛋白与阴沟肠杆菌Ec NifA蛋白功能差异的研究

nifA基因是固氮基因nif的调节基因, 其产物NifA蛋白是固氮过程的中心调节因子. 将多拷贝组成型表达的苜蓿中华根瘤菌(Sinorhizobium meliloti, Sm) nifA基因或阴沟肠杆菌(Enterobacter cloacae, Ec) nifA基因引入苜蓿中华根瘤菌野生型菌株Sm1021和苜蓿中华根瘤菌nifA突变型菌株SmY中, 并检测这些苜蓿中华根瘤菌感染苜蓿之后根瘤的表型及固氮酶活性. 实验结果表明, 苜蓿中华根瘤菌NifA蛋白和阴沟肠杆菌NifA蛋白在苜蓿中华根瘤菌中的功能有明显差异. 在野生型菌株Sm1021中, 引入多拷贝Sm nifA基因对宿主根瘤固氮效率的促进作用明显优于引入多拷贝Ec nifA基因的作用. 引入多拷贝Sm nifA基因的SmY菌株(nifA突变型)能够共生固氮, 而引入Ec nifA基因的SmY菌株仍然不能固氮. 氨基酸序列同源性分析显示, N末端结构域是Sm NifA蛋白和Ec NifA蛋白同源性最低的功能域. 进一步研究表明, Sm NifA蛋白的N末端结构域在互补苜蓿中华根瘤菌nifA突变型菌株SmY的固氮功能时是必需的.     

中华根瘤菌NP1氨单加氧酶基因的克隆与功能鉴定

以中华根瘤菌NP1(Sinorhizobium sp.NP1)为原始菌株,通过同源克隆与Tail-PCR方法,获得1089bp的氨单加氧酶基因(amo)全长序列.该基因编码362个氨基酸,其二级结构与Sinorhizobium meliloti1021AMO的二级结构相似,该蛋白有9个跨膜区段.以自杀穿梭质粒pJQ200SK为原始载体,构建NP1amo基因敲除质粒pJQ200SK-amo-Tc.采用三亲本杂交的方法将该质粒转入原始菌株NP1中,获得amo基因敲除菌株NP1∷amo.通过本贝洛氏(Berthelot)法对氨氮进行测定,发现NP1∷amo的脱氮效率比原始菌株NP1下降约35%.该结果表明,本实验中所克隆的氨单加氧酶基因为脱氮关键酶基因.     

Phosphorus-free membrane lipids of Sinorhizobium meliloti are not required for the symbiosis with alfalfa but contribute to increased cell yields under phosphorus-limiting conditions of growth

The microsymbiont of alfalfa, Sinorhizobium meliloti, possesses phosphatidylglycerol, cardiolipin, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine as major membrane phospholipids, when grown in the presence of sufficient accessible phosphorus sources. Under phosphate-limiting conditions of growth, S. meliloti replaces its phospholipids by membrane lipids that do not contain any phosphorus in their molecular structure and, in S. meliloti, these phosphorus-free membrane lipids are sulphoquinovosyl diacylglycerols (SL), ornithine-containing lipids (OL), and diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserines (DGTS). In earlier work, we demonstrated that neither SL nor OL are required for establishing a nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis with alfalfa. We now report the identification of the two structural genes btaA and btaB from S. meliloti required for DGTS biosynthesis. When the sinorhizobial btaA and btaB genes are expressed in Escherichia coli, they cause the formation of DGTS in this latter organism. A btaA-deficient mutant of S. meliloti is unable to form DGTS but can form nitrogen-fixing root nodules on alfalfa, demonstrating that sinorhizobial DGTS is not required for establishing a successful symbiosis with the host plant. Even a triple mutant of S. meliloti, unable to form any of the phosphorus-free membrane lipids SL, OL, or DGTS is equally competitive for nodule occupancy as the wild type. Only under growth-limiting concentrations of phosphate in culture media did mutants that could form neither OL nor DGTS grow to lesser cell densities.     

Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 produces a low-molecular-mass capsular polysaccharide that is a homopolymer of 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid harboring a phospholipid anchor

Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 possesses the particularity to synthesize biologically inefficient capsular polysaccharides (KPS). It has been assumed that this class of compounds is not produced in high-molecular-mass (HMM) forms, even if many genetic analyses show the existence of expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of capsular polysaccharides. The expression of these genes that are involved in the export of a KPS throughout the membrane and in the attachment of a lipid moiety has never been related to a structurally characterized surface polysaccharide. It is now reported that S. meliloti strain 1021 produces low-molecular-mass polysaccharides (4-4.5 kDa) that are exclusively composed of beta-(2-->7)-linked 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulopyranosonic acid (Kdo) residues. These compounds are considered precursor molecules of HMM KPS, whose biosynthesis is arrested in the case of S. meliloti strain 1021. For the first time, the phospholipid anchor of a rhizobial KPS has been found, and its structure could be partially identified-namely, a phosphoglycerol moiety bearing a hydroxy-octacosanoic acid. When compared to other rhizobial KPS (composed of dimeric hexose-Kdo-like sugar repeating units), the Kdo homopolymer described here may explain why a complementation of S. meliloti strain 1021 Exo B mutant with an effective rkpZ gene restoring an active higher KPS size does not completely lead to the fully effective nitrogen fixing phenotype.     

The regulator gene phoB mediates phosphate stress-controlled synthesis of the membrane lipid diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine in Rhizobium (Sinorhizobium) meliloti

Bacteria react to phosphate starvation by activating genes involved in the transport and assimilation of phosphate as well as other phosphorous compounds. Some soil bacteria have evolved an additional mechanism for saving phosphorous. Under phosphate-limiting conditions, they replace their membrane phospholipids by lipids not containing phosphorus. Here, we show that the membrane lipid pattern of the free-living microsymbiotic bacterium Rhizobium (Sinorhizobium) meliloti is altered at low phosphate concentrations. When phosphate is growth limiting, an increase in sulpholipids, ornithine lipids and the de novo synthesis of diacylglyceryl trimethylhomoserine (DGTS) lipids is observed. Rhizobium meliloti phoCDET mutants, deficient in phosphate uptake, synthesize DGTS constitutively at low or high medium phosphate concentrations, suggesting that reduced transport of phosphorus sources to the cytoplasm causes induction of DGTS biosynthesis. Rhizobium meliloti phoU or phoB mutants are unable to form DGTS at low or high phosphate concentrations. However, the functional complementation of phoU or phoB mutants with the phoB gene demonstrates that, of the two genes, only intact phoB is required for the biosynthesis of the membrane lipid DGTS.     

Identification of a gene required for the formation of lyso-ornithine lipid, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of ornithine-containing lipids

Under phosphate-limiting conditions, some bacteria replace their membrane phospholipids by lipids not containing any phosphorus. One of these phosphorus-free lipids is an ornithine-containing lipid (OL) that is widespread among eubacteria. In earlier work, we had identified a gene (olsA) required for OL biosynthesis that probably encodes an O-acyltransferase using acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-AcpP) as an acyl donor and that converts lyso-ornithine lipid into OL. We now report on a second gene (olsB) required for OL biosynthesis that is needed for the incorporation of radiolabelled ornithine into OL. Overexpression of OlsB in an olsA-deficient mutant of Sinorhizobium (Rhizobium) meliloti leads to the transient accumulation of lyso-ornithine lipid, the biosynthetic intermediate of OL biosynthesis. Overexpression of OlsB in Escherichia coli is sufficient to cause the in vivo formation of lyso-ornithine lipid in this organism and is the cause for a 3-hydroxyacyl-AcpP-dependent acyltransferase activity forming lyso-ornithine lipid from ornithine. These results demonstrate that OlsB is required for the first step of OL biosynthesis, in which ornithine is N-acylated with a 3-hydroxy-fatty acyl residue in order to obtain lyso-ornithine lipid. OL formation in a wild-type S. meliloti is increased upon growth under phosphate-limiting conditions. Expression of OlsB from a broad host range vector leads to the constitutive formation of relatively high amounts of OL (12-14% of total membrane lipids) independently of whether strains are grown in the presence of low or high concentrations of phosphate, suggesting that in S. meliloti the formation of OlsB is usually limiting for the amount of OL formed in this organism. Open reading frames homologous to OlsA and OlsB were identified in many eubacteria and although in S. meliloti the olsB and olsA gene are 14 kb apart, in numerous other bacteria they form an operon.     

Probing for pH-regulated genes in Sinorhizobium medicae using transcriptional analysis

The low pH sensitivity of Sinorhizobium species is one of the major causes of reduced productivity of Medicago species (such as lucerne) sown in acidic soils. To investigate the pH response of an acid-tolerant Sinorhizobium medicae strain, a pool of random promoter fusions to gusA was created using minitransposon insertional mutagenesis. Acid-activated expression was identified in 11 mutants; rhizobial DNA flanking insertions in 10 mutants could be cloned and the DNA sequences obtained were used to interrogate the genome database of Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021. Acid activated expression was detected for fixNO, kdpC, lpiA, and phrR and for genes encoding a putative lipoprotein, two ABC-transporter components, a putative DNA ligase and a MPA1-family protein. These findings implicate cytochrome synthesis, potassium ion cycling, lipid biosynthesis and transport processes as key components of pH response in S. medicae.     

Plasmid-associated genes in the model micro-symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 affect the growth and development of young rice seedlings

Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 and its closely related strain Rm2011 inhibit rice seedling (Oryza sativa L. cv. Pelde) growth and development under certain rice-growing conditions. Experiments showed that inoculation of seedlings with approximately less than 10 cells of 1021 was sufficient to cause this inhibition. By using a series of plasmid-cured and plasmid-deleted derivatives of Rm2011, it was found that interactions between genes encoded on pSymA, and possibly pSymB, of Rm2011, affected rice growth and development by affecting both/either the plant and/or the bacteria. Further studies found that genes potentially related to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) synthesis and nitrate metabolism, encoded on pSymA, were involved in rice growth inhibition in Sm1021- and Sm2011-treated rice seedlings. We conclude that the rice growth inhibition by S. meliloti Sm1021 is pSymA-associated and is induced by environmental nitrate.     

Ornithine lipids and their structural modifications: from A to E and beyond

Ornithine lipids (OLs) are phosphorus-free membrane lipids that are widespread in eubacteria, but absent from archaea and eukaryotes. They contain a 3-hydroxy fatty acyl group attached in amide linkage to the α-amino group of the amino acid ornithine. A second fatty acyl group is ester-linked to the 3-hydroxy position of the first fatty acid. About 25% of the bacterial species whose genomes have been sequenced are predicted to have the capacity to form OLs. Distinct OL hydroxylations have been described in the ester-linked fatty acid, the amide-linked fatty acid, and the ornithine moiety. These modifications often seem to form part of a bacterial stress response to changing environmental conditions, allowing the bacteria to adjust membrane properties by simply modifying already existing membrane lipids without the need to synthesize new lipids.     

OlsG (Sinac_1600) Is an Ornithine Lipid N-Methyltransferase from the Planctomycete Singulisphaera acidiphila

Ornithine lipids (OLs) are phosphorus-free membrane lipids widespread in bacteria but absent from archaea and eukaryotes. In addition to the unmodified OLs, a variety of OL derivatives hydroxylated in different structural positions has been reported. Recently, methylated derivatives of OLs were described in several planctomycetes isolated from a peat bog in Northern Russia, although the gene/enzyme responsible for the N-methylation of OL remained obscure. Here we identify and characterize the OL N-methyltransferase OlsG (Sinac_1600) from the planctomycete Singulisphaera acidiphila. When OlsG is co-expressed with the OL synthase OlsF in Escherichia coli, methylated OL derivatives are formed. An in vitro characterization shows that OlsG is responsible for the 3-fold methylation of the terminal δ-nitrogen of OL. Methylation is dependent on the presence of the detergent Triton X-100 and the methyldonor S-adenosylmethionine.