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PMID: 3316182 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Rhizobium meliloti nifN (fixF) gene is part of an operon regulated by a nifA-dependent promoter and codes for a polypeptide homologous to the nifK gene product.

Journal of bacteriology ·Vol. 169 ·No. 12 ·1987-12-00 ·Pages 5393-400

Aguilar OM, Reiländer H, Arnold W, Pühler A

Abstract

An essential gene for symbiotic nitrogen fixation (fixF) is located near the common nodulation region of Rhizobium meliloti. A DNA fragment carrying fixF was characterized by hybridization with Klebsiella pneumoniae nif DNA and by nucleotide sequence analysis. The fixF gene was found to be related to K. pneumoniae nifN and was therefore renamed as the R. meliloti nifN gene. Upstream of the nifN coding region a second open reading frame was identified coding for a putative polypeptide of 110 amino acids (ORF110). By fragment-specific Tn5 mutagenesis it was shown that the nifN gene and ORF110 form an operon. The control region of this operon contains a nif promoter and also the putative nifA-binding sequence. For the deduced amino acid sequence of the nifN gene product a striking homology to the R. meliloti nifK protein was found. One cysteine residue and its adjacent amino acid sequence, which are highly conserved in the R. meliloti nifK, R. meliloti nifN, and K. pneumoniae nifN proteins, may play a role in binding the FeMo cofactor.

MeSH Terms
Amino Acid Sequence Bacterial Proteins/genetics Base Sequence Cloning, Molecular DNA, Bacterial/genetics Gene Expression Regulation Genes, Bacterial Klebsiella pneumoniae/genetics Molecular Sequence Data Nitrogen Fixation/genetics Nucleic Acid Hybridization Operon Peptides/genetics Plasmids Promoter Regions, Genetic Rhizobium/genetics Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Chemicals
Bacterial Proteins DNA, Bacterial Peptides
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Aguilar O M
Lehrstuhl für Genetik, Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Bielefeld, Federal Republic of Germany.
Reiländer H
Arnold W
Pühler A
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Article Info
Journal
Journal of bacteriology
Abbr.
J Bacteriol
ISSN
0021-9193
DOI
10.1128/jb.169.12.5393-5400.1987
Published
1987-12-00
Pages
5393-400
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
2985120R
PMCID
PMC213963
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
M18272
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jb.169.12.5393-5400.1987 PMC Full Text View journal details
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