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PMID: 3313281 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The symbiotic nitrogen fixation regulatory operon (fixRnifA) of Bradyrhizobium japonicum is expressed aerobically and is subject to a novel, nifA-independent type of activation.

Nucleic acids research ·Vol. 15 ·No. 20 ·1987-10-26 ·Pages 8479-99

Thöny B, Fischer HM, Anthamatten D, Bruderer T, Hennecke H

Abstract

The Bradyrhizobium japonicum N2 fixation regulatory gene, nifA, was sequenced and its transcription start site determined. Between the start of transcription and the nifA gene an open reading frame of 278 codons was found and named fixR. A deletion in fixR which allowed transcription into nifA resulted in a 50% reduced Fix activity. The fixRnifA operon was expressed in soybean root nodules, in cultures grown anaerobically with nitrate as terminal electron acceptor, in microaerobic cultures, and in aerobic cultures. The transcription start site (+1) was preceded by a characteristic nif(-24/-12)-type promoter consensus sequence. Double base-pair exchanges in the -12 but not in the -24 region resulted in a 'promoter-down' phenotype. A promoter-upstream DNA region between -50 and -148 was essential for maximal promoter activity. Expression from the promoter was not dependent on nifA. We conclude that the fixRnifA promoter is positively controlled, and that it requires a newly postulated transcriptional factor in order to become activated.

MeSH Terms
Aerobiosis Amino Acid Sequence Base Sequence Chromosome Deletion Crosses, Genetic Escherichia coli/genetics Genes, Bacterial Molecular Sequence Data Mutation Nitrogen Fixation/genetics Operon Plasmids Protein Biosynthesis Rhizobium/genetics,metabolism
Authors & Affiliations
5 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Thöny B
Mikrobiologisches Institut, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich, Switzerland.
Fischer H M
Anthamatten D
Bruderer T
Hennecke H
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Article Info
Journal
Nucleic acids research
Abbr.
Nucleic Acids Res
ISSN
0305-1048
DOI
10.1093/nar/15.20.8479
Published
1987-10-26
Pages
8479-99
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
0411011
PMCID
PMC306372
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
X06167
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1093/nar/15.20.8479 PMC Full Text View journal details
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