scholarly journals Genetic Analysis of Mutations Affecting pckA Regulation in Rhizobium (Sinorhizobium) meliloti

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 1521-1531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magne Østerås ◽  
Shelley A P O'Brien ◽  
Turlough M Finan
Keyword(s):  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Genetic Regulation ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Type Locus ◽  
Rapid Induction

Abstract The enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pck) catalyzes the first step in the gluconeogenic pathway in most organisms. We are examining the genetic regulation of the gene encoding Pck, pckA, in Rhizobium (now Sinorhizobium) meliloti. This bacterium forms N2-fixing root nodules on alfalfa, and the major energy sources supplied to the bacteria within these nodules are C4-dicarboxylic acids such as malate and succinate. R. meliloti cells growing in glucose minimal medium show very low pckA expression whereas addition of succinate to this medium results in a rapid induction of pckA transcription. We identified spontaneous mutations (rpk) that alter the regulation of pckA expression such that pckA is expressed in media containing the non-inducing carbon sources lactose and glucose. Genetic and phenotypic analysis allowed us to differentiate at least four rpk mutant classes that map to different locations on the R. meliloti chromosome. The wild-type locus corresponding to one of these rpk loci was cloned by complementation, and two Tn5 insertions within the insert DNA that no longer complemented the rpk mutation were identified. The nucleotide sequence of this region revealed that both Tn5 insertions lay within a gene encoding a protein homologous to the Ga1R/LacI family of transcriptional regulators that are involved in metabolism.

scholarly journals Mutation in the ntrR Gene, a Member of the vap Gene Family, Increases the Symbiotic Efficiency of Sinorhizobium meliloti

2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 887-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boglárka Oláh ◽  
Erno Kiss ◽  
Zoltán Györgypál ◽  
Judit Borzi ◽  
Gyöngyi Cinege ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Nifh Gene ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Nodule Occupancy ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Symbiotic Efficiency ◽  
Host Interactions

In specific plant organs, namely the root nodules of alfalfa, fixed nitrogen (ammonia) produced by the symbiotic partner Sinorhizobium meliloti supports the growth of the host plant in nitrogen-depleted environment. Here, we report that a derivative of S. meliloti carrying a mutation in the chromosomal ntrR gene induced nodules with enhanced nitrogen fixation capacity, resulting in an increased dry weight and nitrogen content of alfalfa. The efficient nitrogen fixation is a result of the higher expression level of the nifH gene, encoding one of the subunits of the nitrogenase enzyme, and nifA, the transcriptional regulator of the nif operon. The ntrR gene, controlled negatively by its own product and positively by the symbiotic regulator syrM, is expressed in the same zone of nodules as the nif genes. As a result of the nitrogen-tolerant phenotype of the strain, the beneficial effect of the mutation on efficiency is not abolished in the presence of the exogenous nitrogen source. The ntrR mutant is highly competitive in nodule occupancy compared with the wild-type strain. Sequence analysis of the mutant region revealed a new cluster of genes, termed the “ntrPR operon,” which is highly homologous to a group of vap-related genes of various pathogenic bacteria that are presumably implicated in bacterium-host interactions. On the basis of its favorable properties, the strain is a good candidate for future agricultural utilization.

scholarly journals The Disruption of a Gene Encoding a Putative Arylesterase Impairs Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Activity and Nitrogen Fixation in Sinorhizobium meliloti

2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 811-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
María José Soto ◽  
Juan Sanjuan ◽  
José Olivares
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex ◽  
Chloroacetic Acid ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids ◽  
Complex Activity ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Physiological Importance

Nitrogen-fixing Sinorhizobium meliloti cells depend upon dicarboxylic acids as carbon and energy sources. The metabolism of these intermediate compounds of the tri-chloroacetic acid cycle is dependent upon the availability of acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA). In bacteroids, the combined activities of malic enzymes and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) have been proposed to be responsible for the anaplerotic synthesis of acetyl-CoA. We obtained a S. meliloti mutant strain, PD3, in which a Tn5 insertion led to a significant decrease in the overall PDH activity. The genetic characterization of this mutant revealed that the transposon is located at the 3′ end of a gene (ada) encoding a putative arylesterase. The mutant PD3 is deficient in nitrogen fixation, which strengthens the physiological importance of PDH activity in the symbiosis of S. meliloti with alfalfa plants.

scholarly journals HPrK Regulates Succinate-Mediated Catabolite Repression in the Gram-Negative Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti

2008 ◽  
Vol 191 (1) ◽  
pp. 298-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Arango Pinedo ◽  
Daniel J. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Catabolite Repression ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Common Component ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Living Organisms

ABSTRACT The HPrK kinase/phosphatase is a common component of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) of gram-positive bacteria and regulates catabolite repression through phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of its substrate, the PTS protein HPr, at a conserved serine residue. Phosphorylation of HPr by HPrK also affects additional phosphorylation of HPr by the PTS enzyme EI at a conserved histidine residue. Sinorhizobium meliloti can live as symbionts inside legume root nodules or as free-living organisms and is one of the relatively rare gram-negative bacteria known to have a gene encoding HPrK. We have constructed S. meliloti mutants that lack HPrK or that lack key amino acids in HPr that are likely phosphorylated by HPrK and EI. Deletion of hprK in S. meliloti enhanced catabolite repression caused by succinate, as did an S53A substitution in HPr. Introduction of an H22A substitution into HPr alleviated the strong catabolite repression phenotypes of strains carrying ΔhprK or hpr(S53A) mutations, demonstrating that HPr-His22-P is needed for strong catabolite repression. Furthermore, strains with a hpr(H22A) allele exhibited relaxed catabolite repression. These results suggest that HPrK phosphorylates HPr at the serine-53 residue, that HPr-Ser53-P inhibits phosphorylation at the histidine-22 residue, and that HPr-His22-P enhances catabolite repression in the presence of succinate. Additional experiments show that ΔhprK mutants overproduce exopolysaccharides and form nodules that do not fix nitrogen.

scholarly journals Genetic Organization of the Region Encoding Regulation, Biosynthesis, and Transport of Rhizobactin 1021, a Siderophore Produced by Sinorhizobium meliloti

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (8) ◽  
pp. 2576-2585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Lynch ◽  
John O'Brien ◽  
Timothy Welch ◽  
Paul Clarke ◽  
Páraic ÓCuı́v ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Membrane Receptor ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Outer Membrane Receptor ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Transposon Insertion ◽  
Transposon Insertions

ABSTRACT Eight genes have been identified that function in the regulation, biosynthesis, and transport of rhizobactin 1021, a hydroxamate siderophore produced under iron stress bySinorhizobium meliloti. The genes were sequenced, and transposon insertion mutants were constructed for phenotypic analysis. Six of the genes, named rhbABCDEF, function in the biosynthesis of the siderophore and were shown to constitute an operon that is repressed under iron-replete conditions. Another gene in the cluster, named rhtA, encodes the outer membrane receptor protein for rhizobactin 1021. It was shown to be regulated by iron and to encode a product having 61% similarity to IutA, the outer membrane receptor for aerobactin. Transcription of both therhbABCDEF operon and the rhtA gene was found to be positively regulated by the product of the eighth gene in the cluster, named rhrA, which has characteristics of an AraC-type transcriptional activator. The six genes in therhbABCDEF operon have interesting gene junctions with short base overlaps existing between the genes. Similarities between the protein products of the biosynthesis genes and other proteins suggest that rhizobactin 1021 is synthesized by the formation of a novel siderophore precursor, 1,3-diaminopropane, which is then modified and attached to citrate in steps resembling those of the aerobactin biosynthetic pathway. The cluster of genes is located on the pSyma megaplasmid of S. meliloti 2011. Reverse transcription-PCR with RNA isolated from mature alfalfa nodules yielded no products for rhbF or rhtA at a time when the nifH gene was strongly expressed, indicating that siderophore biosynthesis and transport genes are not strongly expressed when nitrogenase is being formed in root nodules. Mutants having transposon insertions in the biosynthesis or transport genes induced effective nitrogen-fixing nodules on alfalfa plants.

scholarly journals Regulation of the acuF Gene, Encoding Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase in the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus nidulans

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Hynes ◽  
Oliver W. Draht ◽  
Meryl A. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Source ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Tca Cycle ◽  
Northern Blotting ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
The Tca Cycle ◽  
Key Enzyme ◽  
Acetate Utilization

ABSTRACT Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is a key enzyme required for gluconeogenesis when microorganisms grow on carbon sources metabolized via the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Aspergillus nidulans acuF mutants isolated by their inability to use acetate as a carbon source specifically lack PEPCK. The acuF gene has been cloned and shown to encode a protein with high similarity to PEPCK from bacteria, plants, and fungi. The regulation of acuF expression has been studied by Northern blotting and by the construction of lacZ fusion reporters. Induction by acetate is abolished in mutants unable to metabolize acetate via the TCA cycle, and induction by amino acids metabolized via 2-oxoglutarate is lost in mutants unable to form 2-oxoglutarate. Induction by acetate and proline is not additive, consistent with a single mechanism of induction. Malate and succinate result in induction, and it is proposed that PEPCK is controlled by a novel mechanism of induction by a TCA cycle intermediate or derivative, thereby allowing gluconeogenesis to occur during growth on any carbon source metabolized via the TCA cycle. It has been shown that the facB gene, which mediates acetate induction of enzymes specifically required for acetate utilization, is not directly involved in PEPCK induction. This is in contrast to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where Cat8p and Sip4p, homologs of FacB, regulate PEPCK as well as the expression of other genes necessary for growth on nonfermentable carbon sources in response to the carbon source present. This difference in the control of gluconeogenesis reflects the ability of A. nidulans and other filamentous fungi to use a wide variety of carbon sources in comparison with S. cerevisiae. The acuF gene was also found to be subject to activation by the CCAAT binding protein AnCF, a protein homologous to the S. cerevisiae Hap complex and the mammalian NFY complex.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Two-Component Regulatory System That Regulates Succinate-Mediated Catabolite Repression in Sinorhizobium meliloti

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (21) ◽  
pp. 5725-5735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preston P. Garcia ◽  
Ryan M. Bringhurst ◽  
Catalina Arango Pinedo ◽  
Daniel J. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Catabolite Repression ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Energy State ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
State Monitoring ◽  
Secondary Carbon

ABSTRACT When they are available, Sinorhizobium meliloti utilizes C4-dicarboxylic acids as preferred carbon sources for growth while suppressing the utilization of some secondary carbon sources such as α- and β-galactosides. The phenomenon of using succinate as the sole carbon source in the presence of secondary carbon sources is termed succinate-mediated catabolite repression (SMCR). Genetic screening identified the gene sma0113 as needed for strong SMCR when S. meliloti was grown in succinate plus lactose, maltose, or raffinose. sma0113 and the gene immediately downstream, sma0114, encode the proteins Sma0113, an HWE histidine kinase with five PAS domains, and Sma0114, a CheY-like response regulator lacking a DNA-binding domain. sma0113 in-frame deletion mutants show a relief of catabolite repression compared to the wild type. sma0114 in-frame deletion mutants overproduce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and this overproduction requires sma0113. Sma0113 may use its five PAS domains for redox level or energy state monitoring and use that information to regulate catabolite repression and related responses.

scholarly journals Insertion of Transposon Tn5tac1 in the Sinorhizobium meliloti Malate Dehydrogenase (mdh) Gene Results in Conditional Polar Effects on Downstream TCA Cycle Genes

2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 1318-1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergiy l. Dymov ◽  
David J. J. Meek ◽  
Blaire Steven ◽  
Brian T. Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Malate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Tca Cycle ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Oxoglutarate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Succinyl Coa Synthetase

To isolate Sinorhizobium meliloti mutants deficient in malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activity, random transposon Tn5tac1 insertion mutants were screened for conditional lethal phenotypes on complex medium. Tn5tac1 has an outward-oriented isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)- inducible promoter (Ptac). The insertion in strain Rm30049 was mapped to the mdh gene, which was found to lie directly upstream of the genes encoding succinyl-CoA synthetase (sucCD) and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (sucAB and lpdA). Rm30049 required IPTG for wild-type growth in complex media, and had a complex growth phenotype in minimal media with different carbon sources. The mdh∷ Tn5tac1 insertion eliminated MDH activity under all growth conditions, and activities of succinyl-CoA synthetase, 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, and succinate dehydrogenase were affected by the addition of IPTG. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) studies confirmed that expression from Ptac was induced by IPTG and leaky in its absence. Alfalfa plants inoculated with Rm30049 were chlorotic and stunted, with small white root nodules, and had shoot dry weight and percent-N content values similar to those of uninoculated plants. Cosmid clone pDS15 restored MDH activity to Rm30049, complemented both the mutant growth and symbiotic phenotypes, and was found to carry six complete (sdhB, mdh, sucCDAB) and two partial (lpdA, sdhA) tricarboxylic acid cycle genes.

scholarly journals NAD(P)+-Malic Enzyme Mutants of Sinorhizobium sp. Strain NGR234, but Not Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571, Maintain Symbiotic N2Fixation Capabilities

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 2803-2812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Zhang ◽  
Toshihiro Aono ◽  
Phillip Poole ◽  
Turlough M. Finan
Keyword(s):  
Malic Enzyme ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase ◽  
Rhizobium Leguminosarum ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Tca Cycle ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Azorhizobium Caulinodans ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTC4-dicarboxylic acids appear to be metabolized via the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in N2-fixing bacteria (bacteroids) within legume nodules. InSinorhizobium melilotibacteroids from alfalfa, NAD+-malic enzyme (DME) is required for N2fixation, and this activity is thought to be required for the anaplerotic synthesis of pyruvate. In contrast, in the pea symbiontRhizobium leguminosarum, pyruvate synthesis occurs via either DME or a pathway catalyzed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) and pyruvate kinase (PYK). Here we report thatdmemutants of the broad-host-rangeSinorhizobiumsp. strain NGR234 formed nodules whose level of N2fixation varied from 27 to 83% (plant dry weight) of the wild-type level, depending on the host plant inoculated. NGR234 bacteroids had significant PCK activity, and while singlepckAand singledmemutants fixed N2at reduced rates, apckA dmedouble mutant had no N2-fixing activity (Fix−). Thus, NGR234 bacteroids appear to synthesize pyruvate from TCA cycle intermediates via DME or PCK pathways. These NGR234 data, together with other reports, suggested that the completely Fix−phenotype ofS. meliloti dmemutants may be specific to the alfalfa-S. melilotisymbiosis. We therefore examined the ME-like genesazc3656andazc0119fromAzorhizobium caulinodans, asazc3656mutants were previously shown to form Fix−nodules on the tropical legumeSesbania rostrata. We found that purified AZC3656 protein is an NAD(P)+-malic enzyme whose activity is inhibited by acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) and stimulated by succinate and fumarate. Thus, whereas DME is required for symbiotic N2fixation inA. caulinodansandS. meliloti, in other rhizobia this activity can be bypassed via another pathway(s).

scholarly journals Molecular and Functional Characterization of theRhodopseudomonas palustris No. 7 Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (9) ◽  
pp. 2689-2696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayuki Inui ◽  
Kaori Nakata ◽  
Jung Hyeob Roh ◽  
Kenneth Zahn ◽  
Hideaki Yukawa
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Source ◽  
Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Rhodopseudomonas Palustris ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Upstream Sequence ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Reading Frame

ABSTRACT The pckA gene, encoding the gluconeogenic enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), was cloned by PCR amplification from the purple nonsulfur bacteriumRhodopseudomonas palustris No. 7. Sequencing of a 2.5-kb chromosomal SmaI-PstI fragment containing the structural gene revealed an open reading frame encoding 537 amino acids, homologous to known pckA genes. Primer extension analysis identified a transcriptional start site 72 bp upstream of thepckA initiation codon and an upstream sequence similar to ς70 promoters. Studies of a pckA-lacZ gene fusion indicated that when cells were grown in minimal media with various carbon sources, such as succinate, malate, pyruvate, lactate, or ethanol, under both anaerobic light and aerobic dark conditions, thepckA gene was induced in log phase, irrespective of the carbon source. A R. palustris No. 7 PEPCK-deficient strain showed growth characteristics identical to those of the wild-type strain either anaerobically in the light or aerobically in the dark when a C4-dicarboxylic acid, such as succinate or malate, was used as a carbon source. These results indicate that in R. palustris No. 7, an alternative gluconeogenic pathway may exist in addition to PEPCK.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Unique Chromosomal Copper Resistance Gene Cluster from Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 8284-8291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huseyin Basim ◽  
Gerald V. Minsavage ◽  
Robert E. Stall ◽  
Jaw-Fen Wang ◽  
Savita Shanker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Xanthomonas Campestris ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
The United States ◽  
Copper Resistance ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Pepper Plant ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Copper Resistance Genes

ABSTRACT We characterized the copper resistance genes in strain XvP26 of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, which was originally isolated from a pepper plant in Taiwan. The copper resistance genes were localized to a 7,652-bp region which, based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization, was determined to be located on the chromosome. These genes hybridized only weakly, as determined by Southern analysis, to other copper resistance genes in Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas strains. We identified five open reading frames (ORFs) whose products exhibited high levels of amino acid sequence identity to the products of previously reported copper genes. Mutations in ORF1, ORF3, and ORF4 removed copper resistance, whereas mutations in ORF5 resulted in an intermediate copper resistance phenotype and insertions in ORF2 had no effect on resistance conferred to a copper-sensitive recipient in transconjugant tests. Based on sequence analysis, ORF1 was determined to have high levels of identity with the CopR (66%) and PcoR (63%) genes in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and Escherichia coli, respectively. ORF2 and ORF5 had high levels of identity with the PcoS gene in E. coli and the gene encoding a putative copper-containing oxidoreductase signal peptide protein in Sinorhizobium meliloti, respectively. ORF3 and ORF4 exhibited 23% identity to the gene encoding a cation efflux system membrane protein, CzcC, and 62% identity to the gene encoding a putative copper-containing oxidoreductase protein, respectively. The latter two ORFs were determined to be induced following exposure to low concentrations of copper, while addition of Co, Cd, or Zn resulted in no significant induction. PCR analysis of 51 pepper and 34 tomato copper-resistant X. campestris pv. vesicatoria strains collected from several regions in Taiwan between 1987 and 2000 and nine copper-resistant strains from the United States and South America showed that successful amplification of DNA was obtained only for strain XvP26. The organization of this set of copper resistance genes appears to be uncommon, and the set appears to occur rarely in X. campestris pv. vesicatoria.

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