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Genetic Characterization of Nitrogen Fixation in Enterobacter Strains from the Rhizosphere of Cereals

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Nitrogen Fixation

Part of the book series: Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences ((DPSS,volume 48))

Abstract

Nitrogen-fixing Enterobacter agglomerans strains isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat harbour well arranged nif-gene clusters on large indigenous plasmids. The nif-gene organization is similar to that found on the chromosome of Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, the two electron transport protein genes nifJ and nifF form one operon in E. agglomerans. The plasmids of two E. agglomerans strains have been examined. They differ strikingly in size and restriction pattern, but their nif-gene clusters are identical in gene arrangement and almost identical in nucleotide sequence. No homogy was detected with non-nif-regions of the two plasmids. The amino acid sequences of NifT, NifW and NifZ show homologies with the corresponding proteins of other nitrogen fixing bacteria, implying their important roles in nitrogen fixation. The regulation of the E. agglomerans nif-gene cluster involves the proteins NifL and NifA. E. agglomerans and Klebsiellae are thus the only examples of species to date with nifL-genes. As in several other bacteria, nif-promoters of E. agglomerans have -24,-12-promoter elements, upstream activator sequences and integration host factor binding sites. When the sequence of the E. agglomerans nifH -24,-12-promoter was changed, a higher promoter activity was observed under conditions where NifA cannot bind to the upstream activator sequence, probably due to the preformation of a closed promoter complex. No difference in the mechanisms of nif-gene regulation was found between K. pneumoniae and E. agglomerans. A K. pneumoniae nifHDK probe hybridized with the 30kb indigenous plasmid of a nitrogen fixing Enterobacter cloacae strain at low stringency conditions. Apart from this, however, no other nif-gene probes hybridized to that plasmid.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Bayreuth, 8580, Bayreuth, Germany

    R. Kreutzer, H.-D. Steibl, S. Dayananda, R. Dippe, L. Halda, M. Buck & W. Klingmüller

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  1. R. Kreutzer
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  2. H.-D. Steibl
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  3. S. Dayananda
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  4. R. Dippe
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  5. L. Halda
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  6. M. Buck
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  1. University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    M. Polsinelli , R. Materassi  & M. Vincenzini ,  & 

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Kreutzer, R. et al. (1991). Genetic Characterization of Nitrogen Fixation in Enterobacter Strains from the Rhizosphere of Cereals. In: Polsinelli, M., Materassi, R., Vincenzini, M. (eds) Nitrogen Fixation. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 48. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3486-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3486-6_3

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