On the operon structure of the nitrogenase genes of Rhizobium leguminosarum and Azotobacter vinelandii

Differential accumulation of nif structural gene mRNA in Azotobacter vinelandii

Northern analysis was employed to investigate mRNA produced by mutant strains of Azotobacter vinelandii with defined deletions in the nif structural genes and in the intergenic noncoding regions. The results indicate that intergenic RNA secondary structures effect the differential accumulation of transcripts, supporting the high Fe protein-to-MoFe protein ratio required for optimal diazotrophic growth.

Sequencing and promoter analysis of the nifENXorf3orf5fdxAnifQ operon from Azospirillum brasilense Sp7

A 40-kb DNA region containing the major cluster of nif genes has been isolated from the Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 genome. In this region three nif operons have been identified: nifHDKorf1Y, nifENXorf3orf5fdxAnifQ and orf2nifUSVorf4. The operons containing nifENX and nifUSV genes are separated from the structural nifHDKorf1Y operon by about 5 kb and 10 kb, respectively. The present study shows the sequence analysis of the 6045-bp DNA region containing the nifENX genes. The deduced amino acid sequences from the open reading frames were compared to the nif gene products of other diazotrophic bacteria and indicate the presence of seven ORFs, all reading in the same direction as that of the nifHDKorf1Y operon. Consensus sigma54 and NifA-binding sites are present only in the promoter region upstream of the nifE gene. This promoter is activated by NifA protein and is approximately two-times less active than the nifH promoter, as indicated by the beta-galactosidase assays. This result suggests the differential expression of the nif genes and their respective products in Azospirillum.

Expression of the nifA gene of Herbaspirillum seropedicae: role of the NtrC and NifA binding sites and of the -24/-12 promoter element

The nifA promoter of Herbaspirillum seropedicae contains potential NtrC, NifA and IHF binding sites together with a -12/-24 sigma(N)-dependent promoter. This region has now been investigated by deletion mutagenesis for the effect of NtrC and NifA on the expression of a nifA::lacZ fusion. A 5' end to the RNA was identified at position 641, 12 bp downstream from the -12/-24 promoter. Footprinting experiments showed that the G residues at positions -26 and -9 are hypermethylated, and that the region from -10 to +10 is partially melted under nitrogen-fixing conditions, confirming that this is the active nifA promoter. In H. seropedicae nifA expression from the sigma(N)-dependent promoter is repressed by fixed nitrogen but not by oxygen and is probably activated by the NtrC protein. NifA protein is apparently not essential for nifA expression but it can still bind the NifA upstream activating sequence.

The genetic analysis of nitrogen fixation, oxygen tolerance and hydrogen uptake in azotobacters

Azotobacters are important in nitrogen-fixation research because of their ability to synthesize at least two alternative forms of nitrogenase and also because of their high tolerance to oxygen. Approaches to studying genes in azotobacters involved in these and related processes include the analysis of mutants, hybridization to genes of other organisms, and also complementation of K. pneumoniae and E. coli mutants by azotobacter DNA. Eight to ten different regions of the genome may contain DNA involved in nitrogen fixation in A. chroococcum . The largest of these is about 25 kilobases (kb) in length and resembles the nif cluster of K. pneumoniae to some extent. Other regions include those hybridizing to fixABC genes of rhizobia and those thought to be involved in the Va-based alternative nitrogenase. Regulation of expression of genes for Mo nitrogenase in A. vinelandii involves, as in K. pneumoniae , ntrA and nifA genes, but unlike K. pneumoniae , not ntrC . Another regulatory gene, called nfrX , has also been identified. Mutants of A. chroococcum with increased sensitivity to oxygen (Fos - ) have been isolated and their phenotypes related to mechanisms of oxygen tolerance. Two are characterized as being deficient in citrate synthase and PEP carboxylase, respectively; these indicate that efficient operation of the TCA cycle is important for respiratory protection of nitrogenase. Finally, genetic studies of hydrogen uptake in A. chroococcum include the characterization of 15 kb of hup DNA by hybridization and mutant-complementation experiments.

Redundancy of the conserved His residue in Azotobacter vinelandii NifL, a histidine autokinase homologue which regulates transcription of nitrogen fixation genes

The NifL protein of Azotobacter vinelandii inhibits NifA, the activator of nif (nitrogen fixation) transcription, in response to oxygen and fixed nitrogen. NifL shows strong homology in its C-terminal domain to the histidine autokinase domains of the canonical two-component sensor proteins, including the region around His-304, which corresponds to the residue known to be phosphorylated in other systems. To examine the mechanism of sensory transduction by NifL, mutations encoding 10 substitutions for His-304 were introduced into the A. vinelandii chromosome. Regulation of nif transcription was measured using acetylene reduction and RNA blots. The substitutions His-304-->Arg and His-304-->Pro impaired regulation by both fixed nitrogen and oxygen, but substitution of Ala, Phe, Ile, Lys, Asn, Ser, Thr, Val had no effect. None of the mutants, including His-304-->Arg and His-304-->Pro, excreted ammonium during diazotrophy, a phenotype of nifL deletion mutants, suggesting that the molecular basis of this effect differs from that responsible for the inhibition of nif transcription. The data show conclusively that phosphorylation of His-304 is not essential for any of the known functions of A. vinelandii NifL. Homology to the family of histidine autokinases is therefore inadequate evidence for a mechanism of sensory transduction involving phosphorylation of the conserved histidine residue.

Cytochrome aa3 gene regulation in members of the family Rhizobiaceae: comparison of copper and oxygen effects in Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Rhizobium tropici

Dithionite-reduced minus ferricyanide-oxidized difference spectra on membranes from Rhizobium tropici (formerly Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli) incubated at progressively lower O2 concentrations showed only a slight concomitant decrease in A603, the alpha-peak of cytochrome aa3. In contrast to previous results on Bradyrhizobium japonicum, R. tropici showed no significant O2-mediated reduction in the level of either coxA transcription or cytochrome aa3 activity (as measured by ascorbate-N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine [TMPD] oxidase) even in the cells incubated at 12.5 microM O2. Bean nodule R. tropici bacteroids contained 65% of the fully aerobic free-living levels of the coxA transcript. Primer extension analyses established the transcription initiation site of the R. tropici coxA genes. Sequence analyses of the regions upstream of the transcription initiation site revealed no homology with previously reported Rhizobiaceae family promoters, including the coxA promoter of B. japonicum. The R. tropici deduced CoxA sequence itself is highly homologous to the B. japonicum and Paracoccus denitrificans CoxA sequences. In both B. japonicum and R. tropici, coxA transcript levels were the same for cells grown with copper (0.02 microM) in the medium or in medium completely devoid of copper. However, a posttranscriptional effect of copper deprivation was observed for both bacteria; difference absorption spectra on membranes from cells grown without copper showed that B. japonicum lacked spectroscopically detectable cytochrome aa3, whereas R. tropici retained approximately 50% of normal cytochrome aa3 levels.

Sequence and molecular analysis of the nifL gene of Azotobacter vinelandii

In both Klebsiella pneumoniae and Azotobacter vinelandii the nifL gene, which encodes a negative regulator of nitrogen fixation, lies immediately upstream of nifA. We have sequenced the A. vinelandii nifL gene and found that it is more homologous in its C-terminal domain to the histidine protein kinases (HPKs) than is K. pneumoniae NifL. In particular A. vinelandii NifL contains a conserved histidine at a position shown to be phosphorylated in other systems. Both NifL proteins are homologous in their N-termini to a part of the Halobacterium halobium bat gene product; Bat is involved in regulation of bacterio-opsin, the expression of which is oxygen sensitive. The same region showed homology to the haem-binding N-terminal domain of the Rhizobium meliloti fixL gene product, an oxygen-sensing protein. Like K. pneumoniae NifL, A. vinelandii NifL is shown here to prevent expression of nif genes in the presence of NH+4 or oxygen. The sequences found homologous in the C-terminal regions of NifL, FixL and Bat might therefore be involved in oxygen binding or sensing. An in-frame deletion mutation in the nifL coding region resulted in loss of repression by NH+4 and the mutant excreted high amounts of ammonia during nitrogen fixation, thus confirming a phenotype reported earlier for an insertion mutation. In addition, nifLA are cotranscribed in A. vinelandii as in K. pneumoniae, but expression from the A. vinelandii promoter requires neither RpoN nor NtrC.

Expression of hydrogenase in Hupc strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Plasmid-borne hup-lacZ transcriptional fusion constructs were introduced into three separate mutant strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum which express hydrogenase constitutively (Hupc strains SR470, SR473 and JH101) in both autotrophic and heterotrophic environments. The lacZ structural gene linked directly to the regulatory region upstream of the hydrogenase structural gene encompassing -149 bases expressed beta-gal at a constant, high level, in response to various concentrations of Ni (0 microM to 1 microM). beta-Gal activity was expressed at a constant level in response to variations in concentration of O2 (0%-10%) and H2 (0%-10%) as well. The cis-acting region required to express hydrogenase constitutively is located between -149 and -98 bases. This is also the site of nickel, oxygen and hydrogen-dependent regulatory action in the wild-type strain. It is postulated that a single mutation in Hupc strains affects the trans-acting factor which would normally by responsive to Ni, O2 and H2.

Oxygen-dependent transcriptional regulation of cytochrome aa3 in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Cytochrome aa3 is one of two terminal oxidases expressed in free-living Bradyrhizobium japonicum but not symbiotically in bacteroids. Difference spectra (dithionite reduced minus ferricyanide oxidized) for membranes from cells incubated with progressively lower O2 concentrations showed a concomitant decrease in the A603, the absorption peak characteristic of cytochrome aa3. The level of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine oxidase activity, a measure of cytochrome aa3 activity, was also found to depend on the O2 level. Dot blots of total RNA isolated from cells grown at various O2 levels were probed with a fragment of the coxA gene from B. japonicum; a sixfold reduction in transcription from the highest (250 microM) to the lowest (12.5 microM) O2 concentration was observed. Bacteroids had even less coxA message, approximately 19% that in the 12.5 microM O2-incubated cells. Primer extension analysis established the transcription initiation site of the coxA gene at 72 bases upstream of the putative translational start codon. Sequence analysis of the region upstream of the transcription initiation site revealed no homology with previously reported B. japonicum promoters.

Regulation of nitrogenase-2 in Azotobacter vinelandii by ammonium, molybdenum, and vanadium

Under diazotrophic conditions in the absence of molybdenum and in the presence of vanadium, Azotobacter vinelandii reduces N2 to NH4+ by using nitrogenase-2, a V-containing enzyme complex encoded by vnfH (the gene for dinitrogenase reductase-2), and vnfDGK (the genes for dinitrogenase-2 subunits). Accumulation of the vnfHorfFd and vnfDGK transcripts occurred under Mo-deficient conditions in the presence and absence of V; however, in the case of vnfDGK, the protein products only accumulated in the presence of V. This suggests that V is required for translation of the vnfDGK transcripts. In addition, expression of vnfH-lacZ and vnfD-lacZ transcriptional fusions was only partially repressed in the presence of NH4+. Transcripts hybridizing with vnfH (1.4 and 1.0 kb), vnfDG (3.4 and 1.8 kb), and vnfK (3.4 kb) were detected in RNA extracted from wild-type cells cultured with NH4+ in the presence or absence of V. However, nitrogenase-2 subunits were not detected in extracts of cells derepressed for nitrogenase-2 in the presence of NH4+. These results indicate that this nitrogen source acts at the posttranscriptional level as well as at the transcriptional level. vnf transcripts were not detected in the presence of Mo (with or without NH4+).

Dependence of oxygen-tolerant nitrogenase activity on divalent cations in Azotobacter vinelandii

Nitrogenase activity of washed Azotobacter vinelandii cells was enhanced by the addition of Ca2+ and Mg2+, and the enhancement increased with the O2 concentration. In assays provided with a level of O2 that was initially supraoptimal and inhibitory to nitrogenase activity, the addition of Ca2+ or Mg2+ affected both the maximum respiration rate (Vmax) of the cells and the apparent affinity [KS(O2)] of cell respiration for O2. Changes in these parameters correlated with changes in nitrogenase activity. Aeration-dependent increases in Vmax and KS(O2) were inhibited by rifampin and chloramphenicol and were also observed in ammonium-grown cultures.

Transcriptional regulation by metals of structural genes for Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenases

Azotobacter vinelandii has three nitrogenases: a molybdenum (Mo) nitrogenase, a vanadium (V) nitrogenase, and a third nitrogenase (nitrogenase-3), which apparently lacks Mo and V. Mo represses synthesis of both V nitrogenase and nitrogenase-3, and in the absence of Mo, V represses synthesis of nitrogenase-3. We have investigated transcriptional regulation of the three nitrogenases by metals using Northern analysis and probes specific for transcripts of each of the three nitrogenases. Our results confirm that Mo is required for expression of the Mo nitrogenase structural genes (nifHDK), and substantiate the notion that Mo represses transcription of the structural genes for both V nitrogenase and nitrogenase-3. We show that repression by V of nitrogenase-3 is also effected at the level of transcription. Unexpectedly, V only represses transcription of the nitrogenase-3 structural genes (anfHDGK) if the V nitrogenase structural gene cluster vnfDGK is present. Further, deletion of nifHDK allows low expression of anfHDGK in the presence of Mo. Repression by Mo or V is independent of cofactor synthesis and therefore of enzyme activity.

The nifEN genes participating in FeMo cofactor biosynthesis and genes encoding dinitrogenase are part of the same operon in Bradyrhizobium species

The nucleotide sequences of genes homologous to the Klebsiella pneumoniae nifEN genes have been determined in Bradyrhizobium japonicum 110. The coding regions for the nifE and nifN consist, respectively, of 1641 and 1407 nucleotides. The nifD gene (coding for the beta-subunit of dinitrogenase) and nifE are linked, and separated by 95 nucleotides. In the region of 12 nucleotides that separates nifE from nifN the stop codon for nifE overlaps the putative ribosome binding site for nifN. In contrast to Klebsiella and Azotobacter vinelandii, the B. japonicum nifEN genes are linked to the nifDK genes in the same operon. Comparison of dinitrogenase polypeptides (nifDK products) and the polypeptides of the nifE and nifN genes reveals considerable homology between nifD and nifE, and between nifK and nifN. Several protein domains, containing highly conserved cysteine residues, are conserved among the gene products of nifD, nifK, nifE and nifN. This result allows us to propose a probable evolutionary pathway for the common origin of these genes.

Two-step isolation of bacterial ribonucleic acid without using a chaotropic agent or cesium chloride centrifugation

A simple RNA isolation method was developed to purify bacterial RNAs from a large number of samples simultaneously in an hour. The method is based on boiling the cells in the presence of Triton X-100 and lysozyme, and then preferential RNA precipitation with ammonium acetate. There is no CsCl centrifugation required. For the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, the depression condition can be maintained during the cell-harvesting process. The intact isolated RNAs appeared to be free of protein, with a yield of 100 micrograms RNA from a 4-ml cell culture of 100 Klett units (10(9) cells/ml). Any DNA present was in a form that did not react with a nifH probe following Northern blotting to nitrocellulose (i.e., was not single-stranded).

Analysis of the HO-cleaved MAT DNA intermediate generated during the mating type switch in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A galactose-inducible HO gene was used to induce mating type switching in heterothallic Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells arrested in G1, in rad52 mutants defective in DNA damage repair, and in cells lacking the donor cassettes. The HO-cleaved MAT intermediate is stable over significant lengths of time, i.e. HO cleavage is not coupled to the subsequent gene conversion event. The in vivo cleavage site was mapped to single base resolution by primer extension experiments on total genomic DNA. Cells arrested in G1 with alpha-factor switched mating type thus demonstrating that switches can occur in the absence of replication of the genome. rad52 mutants did not produce MAT DNA of the opposite mating type indicating that the block is prior to the gene duplication stage of the switch. In strains in which the HM donor cassettes are deleted the cut MAT DNA was degraded after induction of the HO gene.

Regulation of transcription and promoter mapping of the structural genes for nitrogenase (nifHDK) of Azospirillum brasilense Sp7

Transcription of the structural genes for nitrogenase (nifHDK) in Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 was analysed using Northern blots of total RNA extracted from cultures grown under nitrogen-fixing conditions. Hybridization with an internal nifH probe revealed two transcripts, a major one (by concentration) of 1.1 kb corresponding to nifH and a minor one of 5.6 kb corresponding to nifHDK. Hybridization with nifD or nifK probes revealed the minor transcript of 5.6 kb. This confirms that the nifHDK genes are organized as a single transcription unit and suggests regulation at the level of termination of transcription. The complete nucleotide sequence of nifH was established and the DNA region upstream of the initiation codon was analysed for transcription and translation signals. The nifH open reading frame (ORF) is preceded by an NtrA-dependent promoter and two elements homologous to upstream activator sequences (UAS) required for NifA-mediated activation in other diazotrophs. Promoter mapping with S1 nuclease revealed two start sites located 10 bp and 40 bp downstream of the NtrA-dependent promoter.

Characterization of nifH mutations of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Nucleotide changes in the nifH gene of Klebsiella pneumoniae were identified by DNA cloning and sequencing of six selected mutant strains. The strains were UN60, C-640-GC----TGC; UN116, C-67-TC----TTC; UN117, G-688-AG----AAG; UN1041, CG-302-C----CAC; UN1678, GC-713-C----GTC; and UN1795, G-439-AG----AAG. Their corresponding amino acid substitutions were UN60, Arg-214----Cys; UN116, Leu-23----Phe; UN117, Glu-230----Lys; UN1041, Arg-101----His; UN1678, Ala-238----Val; and UN1795, Glu-147----Lys. Results from Western and Northern blots of the mutant strains showed significant reductions in both steady-state levels of the accumulated Fe protein and nifH mRNA during derepression in the presence of serine. The relative specific activities of the nitrogenases in strains UN60, UN1041, and UN1795 were less than 2% of the wild type, whereas those in UN116, UN117, and UN1678 were between 28 and 40% of the wild type during enhanced derepression with serine. The residues of Arg-101 (UN1041), Glu-147 (UN1795), and Arg-214 (UN60) were invariant in sequences of a dozen diazotrophs that have been examined thus far. In UN1041, in which Arg-101 of the Fe protein was replaced by His, the Fe protein had a larger apparent molecular weight than that of the other strains on sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, as detected with rabbit antiserum raised against the C-terminal peptide of the wild-type Fe protein. The reduced levels of nifH mRNA in point mutant strains suggests that nifH (the gene or gene product) may be involved in self-regulation. mRNA transcripts of different sizes were detected when a nifH-specific probe, CCKp2003, was used in the Northern blot hybridization.

Characterization of the upstream region of the formate dehydrogenase operon of Methanobacterium formicicum

The fdhA and fdhB genes of Methanobacterium formicicum, which code for the alpha and beta subunits of formate dehydrogenase, were cotranscribed as part of a large transcript. By using Northern (RNA) gel blot analysis, the transcription start site was located within a 1.6-kilobase BglII-NcoI fragment 4.3 kilobases upstream from the fdhA gene. The precise transcription start site within the fragment was determined with the aid of primer extension analysis and S1 nuclease protection studies. A putative promoter sequence for structural genes of methanogenic archaebacteria is proposed based on a comparison of DNA sequences of the upstream region of methanogen operons for which transcription initiation sites are known. Comparison of the DNA sequence of the upstream region of the fdh operon of M. formicicum with the sequence upstream of the fdhF gene of Escherichia coli revealed regions of considerable identity.

Effect of molybdenum and tungsten on synthesis and composition of formate dehydrogenase in Methanobacterium formicicum

The influence of sodium molybdate and sodium tungstate on formate dehydrogenase activity was studied in H2-CO2-grown cultures of Methanobacterium formicicum. Depletion of molybdate from the growth medium resulted in a 75-fold decrease of intracellular molybdenum and a 35-fold decrease in enzyme activity; however, growth rate and cell yields were not influenced. By using an indirect enzyme-linked immunoassay, the amount of formate dehydrogenase approximated 3% of the total protein in cells grown in the presence of molybdate. Molybdenum-starved cells contained approximately 15-fold less formate dehydrogenase protein; Western blot (immunoblot) analysis revealed that both subunits of the enzyme were synthesized. Molybdenum starvation resulted in an increase in the amount of mRNA that hybridized to fdh-specific DNA. The results indicated an inverse relationship between the amount of transcript and the amount of formate dehydrogenase protein detected in response to molybdenum starvation. The addition of 1 mM tungstate to molybdate-containing media resulted in nearly complete loss of enzyme activity and decreased the intracellular concentration of molybdenum 10-fold. Cells grown in the presence of tungstate synthesized high amounts of inactive formate dehydrogenase and contained mRNA that hybridized to fdh-specific DNA in amounts similar to that in cells grown with sufficient molybdate. Inactive formate dehydrogenase, purified from cells grown in the presence of tungstate, had the same subunit composition and contained amounts of molybdopterin cofactor, albeit metal-free, comparable to those in the active enzyme.

Nucleotide sequence and genetic analysis of the nifB-nifQ region from Azotobacter vinelandii

A 3.8-kilobase-pair EcoRI fragment which corrects the mutations carried by the NifB- Azotobacter vinelandii strains CA30 and UW45 was cloned, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Four complete open reading frames (ORFs) and two partial ORFs were found. The translation product of the first partial ORF is the carboxy-terminal end of a protein homologous to the nifA gene product from Klebsiella pneumoniae. A 285-base-pair sequence containing a potential nif promoter and nif regulatory sites separates this nifA gene from the first complete ORF which encodes a protein homologous to nifB gene products from K. pneumoniae and Rhizobium species. The Tn5 insertion in strain CA30 and the nif-45 mutation of strain UW45 are located within this nifB gene. The ORF downstream from nifB predicts an amino acid sequence with a cysteine residue pattern that is characteristic of ferredoxins. No similarities were found between the translation product of the third complete ORF and those of nif genes from other organisms. At the carboxy-terminal end of the predicted translation product of the fourth complete ORF, 30 of 60 amino acid residues were identical with the sequence of the nifQ gene product from K. pneumoniae. The partial ORF located at the end of the fragment encodes the N-terminal part of a potential protein with an unknown function. Northern (RNA) blot analysis indicated that transcripts from the region containing the four complete ORFs were NH4+ repressible and that the transcription products were identical in cells derepressed under conditions of Mo sufficiency or Mo deficiency or in the presence of vanadium. In contrast to the NifB- strain CA30, which is Nif- under all conditions, mutants that carry mutations affecting the C-terminal end of nifB or genes located immediately downstream from nifB, grew under all N2-fixing conditions. However, in the presence of Mo, most of the strains required 1,000 times the amount of molybdate that is sufficient for maximal growth of the wild-type strain CA under N2-fixing conditions. Growth data from strain CA37, which carries a Kanr insertion in nifQ, indicate that nifQ in A. vinelandii is not required for N2 fixation in the presence of V2O5 or under Mo-deficient conditions. Growth studies and acetylene reduction assays performed on two nifEN deletion strains showed that nifE and nifN are required for N2 fixation under Mo sufficiency, as previously observed (K. E. Brigle, M. C. Weiss, W. E. Newton, and D. R. Dean, J. Bacteriol. 169:1547-1553, 1987), but not under conditions of Mo deficiency or in the presence of 50 nM V2O5.

Nucleotide sequence of regions homologous to nifH (nitrogenase Fe protein) from the nitrogen-fixing archaebacteria Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus and Methanobacterium ivanovii: evolutionary implications

DNA fragments bearing sequence similarity to eubacterial nif H probes were cloned from two nitrogen-fixing archaebacteria, a thermophilic methanogen, Methanococcus (Mc.) thermolithotrophicus, and a mesophilic methanogen, Methanobacterium (Mb.) ivanovii. Regions carrying similarities with the probes were sequenced. They contained several open reading frames (ORF), separated by A + T-rich regions. The largest ORFs in both regions, an 876-bp sequence in Mc. thermolithotrophicus and a 789-bp sequence in Mb. ivanovii, were assumed to be ORFsnif H. They code for polypeptides of mol. wt. 32,025 and 28,347, respectively. Both ORFsnifH were preceded by potential ribosome binding sites and followed by potential hairpin structures and by oligo-T sequences, which may act as transcription termination signals. The codon usage was similar in both ORFsnifH and was analogous to that used in the Clostridium pasteurianum nifH gene, with a preference for codons ending with A or U. The ORFnifH deduced polypeptides contained 30% sequence matches with all eubacterial nifH products already sequenced. Four cysteine residues were found at the same position in all sequences, and regions surrounding the cysteine residues are highly conserved. Comparison of all pairs of methanogenic and eubacterial nifH sequences is in agreement with a distant phylogenetic position of archaebacteria and with a very ancient origin of nif genes. However, sequence similarity between Methanobacteriales and Methanococcales is low (around 50%) as compared to that found among eubacteria, suggesting a profound divergence between the two orders of methanogens. From comparison of amino acid sequences, C. pasteurianum groups with the other eubacteria, whereas comparison of nucleotide sequences seems to bring C. pasteurianum closer to methanogens. The latter result may be due to the high A + T content of both C. pasteurianum and methanogens ORFsnif H or may come from an ancient lateral transfer between Clostridium and methanogens.

Regulation of nitrogenase gene expression in anaerobic cultures of Anabaena variabilis

Derepression of nitrogenase gene expression was studied at the mRNA and enzyme activity levels in anaerobic cultures of Anabaena variabilis 29413. Cells, previously grown with ammonium chloride, were incubated in the absence of fixed nitrogen compounds under an Ar atmosphere with dichlorophenyldimethyl-urea present to inhibit oxygen evolution. The appearance of nitrogenase mRNA (measured by dot blot hybridization analysis) and nitrogenase activity (measured as acetylene-reducing activity) was followed, and the cells were also observed by phase-contrast microscopy. Nitrogenase mRNA could be detected after 1.5 to 2.0 h of nitrogen starvation; enzyme activity appeared about 1 h later. Although enzyme activity increased for many hours, mRNA levels reached a steady state rapidly. Neither heterocysts nor proheterocysts formed under these conditions; however, the cells were observed to shrink and become chlorotic. When anaerobic, derepressed cultures were exposed to oxygen, nitrogenase mRNA levels decreased very rapidly.

Regulatory circuits controlling transcription of TOL plasmid operon encoding meta-cleavage pathway for degradation of alkylbenzoates by Pseudomonas

TOL plasmid pWWO of Pseudomonas putida contains two operons that specify a pathway for the degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. The 'upper' operon encodes enzymes for the oxidation of toluene to benzoate and xylenes to toluates, whereas the meta-cleavage operon specifies the further oxidation of benzoate and toluates. Transcription of the upper pathway operon is positively regulated by the XylR protein, which is activated by toluene/xylenes and their alcohol catabolic products, in combination with the NtrA protein, a sigma factor. Expression of the meta-operon is positively controlled by the XylS protein which is activated by meta-pathway substrates, and is independent of NtrA protein. Expression of the meta pathway is also induced by toluene/xylene-activated XylR protein via a cascade regulatory system in which this protein in combination with NtrA protein stimulates transcription from the xylS gene promoter. Hyper-production of XylS protein in turn provokes high level expression of the meta-operon, which is independent of meta-pathway substrates. The two promoters, which are activated by the XylR and NtrA proteins, the upper pathway promoter and the xylS gene promoter, exhibit three regions of homology centred at -12(5'-TTGCATG-3'), -24(5'-TGGCPuT-3') and -45(5'-TAAAATAAGPuPuCGPuTC-3'), with respect to their principal transcription initiation points. The possible physiological significance of activated XylR-protein-induced expression of the meta-operon through amplification of XylS protein levels is considered.

Organization and characterization of genes essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation from Bradyrhizobium japonicum I110

A total of 96 independent Tn5 insertions within a 39-kilobase-pair (kbp) segment of chromosomal DNA containing the three structural genes for nitrogenase (nifH, nifD, and nifK) from Bradyhizobium japonicum I110 were obtained in Escherichia coli and transferred to the wild-type strain by marker exchange. Individual transconjugants containing a Tn5 insertion were inoculated onto Glycine max cv. Wilkin (soybeans) and analyzed for their effect on symbiotic nitrogen fixation. In addition to the three structural genes, genes essential for nitrogen fixation (fix genes) were located in three separate regions: 9 kbp upstream of the nifDK operon; 1.5 kbp downstream of the nifDK operon; 4.5 kbp upstream of nifH. All of the fix::Tn5 insertion strains formed nodules which contained low or undetectable levels of nitrogenase activity. Bacteroids isolated from these nodules had approximately the same levels of the nifDK and nifH transcripts as those detectable from nodules formed by the wild-type strain. Western blot analysis of bacteroid proteins from nodules formed by the fix::Tn5 mutants or the wild-type strain showed the presence of similar levels of the nitrogenase protein subunits. The region upstream of nifH was characterized further by DNA sequence analysis and was shown to contain the nifB gene. The coding sequence of the nifB gene consisted of 1,494 nucleotides and was preceded by putative promoter (5' GTGG-10 base pairs [bp] TTGCA 3') and upstream activator (5' TGT-4 bp-T-5 bp-ACA 3') sequences.

Transcriptional regulation of nitrogen fixation by molybdenum in Azotobacter vinelandii

Multiple genomic regions homologous to nifH were found in the diazotroph Azotobacter vinelandii. The nifHDK gene cluster, located on a 12.8-kilobase (kb) XhoI fragment and two additional XhoI fragments (7.4 and 8.4 kb) hybridized to a nifH-specific DNA template but the 7.4- and 8.4-kb fragments did not hybridize to nifD- or nifK-specific DNA probes. In vivo transcription of the nifHDK gene cluster was ammonia-repressible and required the presence of at least 50 nM molybdenum in the derepression medium. Three mRNA species were transcribed from the nifHDK gene cluster, a 4.2-kb transcript homologous to nifH-, nifD-, and nifK-specific DNA templates, a 2.6-kb transcript homologous to nifH- and nifD-specific DNA templates, and a 1.2-kb transcript homologous only to the nifH-specific DNA template. In strain CA11, a nifHDK deletion mutant, the nifHDK-specific transcripts were not produced and the strain was unable to grow in N-free medium in the presence of Na2MoO4 at concentrations of 50 nM or higher. However, at concentrations of 25 nM Mo or less, growth occurred in N-free medium. Under these conditions two nifH-homologous (but not nifD- or nifK-homologous) transcripts were observed (1.2 and 1.8 kb). Presumably these were transcribed from the additional nifH-homologous sequences present in the genome. These results are consistent with the existence of two N2 fixation systems in A. vinelandii which are regulated by molybdenum at the level of transcription.

Cloning and organisation of some genes for nitrogen fixation from Azotobacter chroococcum and their expression in Klebsiella pneumoniae

By DNA hybridisation, restriction fragments of genomic DNA from Azotobacter chroococcum and A. vinelandii bearing sequences homologous to Klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase structural genes were detected. These were different in the two species and inconsistent with the arrangement of the homologous sequences as a contiguous cluster of unique genes. The use of a DNA probe specific for nifH showed that in A. chroococcum two nifH-like sequences were present in the genome. From gene libraries for A. chroococcum, several recombinant cosmid clones bearing nif genes were identified and physically mapped. One copy of the nifH-like sequences was closely linked to nifD and K, the order of genes being as for K. pneumoniae. This cluster was sub-cloned into the broad host-range vector pKT230. The resultant plasmid complemented for C2H2-reduction but not growth in N2 several Nif- mutants of A. vinelandii and K. pneumoniae and also abolished growth in N2 in Nif+ parents. The inhibition was ascribed to a short region adjacent to nifH, which probably corresponds to the promoter as its inhibitory affects were alleviated by provision of K. pneumoniae nifA in multiple copies. 3 sizes of transcripts are produced from the region containing nifH and nifD of A. chroococcum in cultures derepressing for nif. A region bearing homology to a fragment of the K. pneumoniae nif cluster bearing nifV was identified 15 Kb away from nifHDK in A. chroococcum however the order of genes is probably similar to that of K. pneumoniae.

Physical organization of the Bradyrhizobium japonicum nitrogenase gene region

In Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 the three genes that encode the nitrogenase enzyme complex are separated into two transcription units, nifH and nifDK. We have physically mapped a 33-kilobase-pair region of the B. japonicum genome that contains both nifH and nifDK. The nifDK operon is located transcriptionally upstream from nifH, and all three genes are transcribed in the same direction. Within the 20-kilobase-pair region that separates the promoters for these two transcription units, we have identified a region homologous to the Klebsiella pneumoniae nifA gene. This nifA homology is situated about 6 kilobase pairs upstream from the nifH transcriptional initiation signal, in an analogous position to the nifA-like locus previously described for Rhizobium meliloti. In addition, we have characterized a second distinct nifA homology in B. japonicum that is not directly linked to the nitrogenase structural gene region.