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PMID: 9726895 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

New nitrogen-fixing microorganisms detected in oligotrophic oceans by amplification of Nitrogenase (nifH) genes.

Applied and environmental microbiology ·Vol. 64 ·No. 9 ·1998-09-00 ·Pages 3444-50

Zehr JP, Mellon MT, Zani S

Abstract

Oligotrophic oceanic waters of the central ocean gyres typically have extremely low dissolved fixed inorganic nitrogen concentrations, but few nitrogen-fixing microorganisms from the oceanic environment have been cultivated. Nitrogenase gene (nifH) sequences amplified directly from oceanic waters showed that the open ocean contains more diverse diazotrophic microbial populations and more diverse habitats for nitrogen fixers than previously observed by classical microbiological techniques. Nitrogenase genes derived from unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria, as well as from the alpha and gamma subdivisions of the class Proteobacteria, were found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. nifH sequences that cluster phylogenetically with sequences from sulfate reducers or clostridia were found associated with planktonic crustaceans. Nitrogenase sequence types obtained from invertebrates represented phylotypes distinct from the phylotypes detected in the picoplankton size fraction. The results indicate that there are in the oceanic environment several distinct potentially nitrogen-fixing microbial assemblages that include representatives of diverse phylotypes.

MeSH Terms
Amino Acid Sequence Atlantic Ocean Cyanobacteria/enzymology,genetics,isolation & purification Genetic Variation Gram-Negative Bacteria/enzymology,genetics,isolation & purification Molecular Sequence Data Nitrogen Fixation Nitrogenase/genetics Oxidoreductases Pacific Ocean Phylogeny Polymerase Chain Reaction Seawater/microbiology Water Microbiology
Chemicals
Oxidoreductases Nitrogenase nitrogenase reductase
Authors & Affiliations
3 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Zehr J P
Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180-3590, USA. zehrj@rpi.edu
Mellon M T
Zani S
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Article Info
Journal
Applied and environmental microbiology
Abbr.
Appl Environ Microbiol
ISSN
0099-2240
DOI
10.1128/AEM.64.9.3444-3450.1998
Email
zehrj@rpi.edu
Published
1998-09-00
Pages
3444-50
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
7605801
PMCID
PMC106745
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
AF016592, AF016593, AF016594, AF016595, AF016596, AF016597, AF016598, AF016599, AF016600, AF016601, AF016602, AF016603, AF016604, AF016605, AF016606, AF016607, AF016608, AF016609, AF016610, AF016611, AF016612, AF016613, AF016614, AF016615, AF016616, AF016617, AF016618, AF059621, AF059622, AF059623
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/AEM.64.9.3444-3450.1998 PMC Full Text View journal details
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