scholarly journals Two New Sinorhizobium meliloti LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulators Required for Nodulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (13) ◽  
pp. 4562-4572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Luo ◽  
Shi-Yi Yao ◽  
Anke Becker ◽  
Silvia Rüberg ◽  
Guan-Qiao Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Growth ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Nitrogenase Activity ◽  
Transcriptional Regulators ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Multiple Points ◽  
Regulator Genes

ABSTRACT The establishment of an effective nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between Sinorhizobium meliloti and its legume host alfalfa (Medicago sativa) depends on the timely expression of nodulation genes that are controlled by LysR-type regulators. Ninety putative genes coding for LysR-type transcriptional regulators were identified in the recently sequenced S. meliloti genome. All 90 putative lysR genes were mutagenized using plasmid insertions as a first step toward determining their roles in symbiosis. Two new LysR-type symbiosis regulator genes, lsrA and lsrB, were identified in the screening. Both the lsrA and lsrB genes are expressed in free-living S. meliloti cells, but they are not required for cell growth. An lsrA1 mutant was defective in symbiosis and elicited only white nodules that exhibited no nitrogenase activity. Cells of the lsrA1 mutant were recovered from the white nodules, suggesting that the lsrA1 mutant was blocked early in nodulation. An lsrB1 mutant was deficient in symbiosis and elicited a mixture of pink and white nodules on alfalfa plants. These plants exhibited lower overall nitrogenase activity than plants inoculated with the wild-type strain, which is consistent with the fact that most of the alfalfa plants inoculated with the lsrB1 mutant were short and yellow. Cells of the lsrB1 mutant were recovered from both pink and white nodules, suggesting that lsrB1 mutants could be blocked at multiple points during nodulation. The identification of two new LysR-type symbiosis transcriptional regulators provides two new avenues for understanding the complex S. meliloti-alfalfa interactions which occur during symbiosis.

scholarly journals FixJ family regulator AcfR of Azorhizobium caulinodans is involved in symbiosis with the host plant

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Liu ◽  
Xue Bai ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Haikun Zhang ◽  
Xiaoke Hu
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Azorhizobium Caulinodans ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Response Regulators ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Two Component

Abstract Background A wide variety of bacterial adaptative responses to environmental conditions are mediated by signal transduction pathways. Two-component signal transduction systems are one of the predominant means used by bacteria to sense the signals of the host plant and adjust their interaction behaviour. A total of seven open reading frames have been identified as putative two-component response regulators in the gram-negative nitrogen-fixing bacteria Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571. However, the biological functions of these response regulators in the symbiotic interactions between A. caulinodans ORS571 and the host plant Sesbania rostrata have not been elucidated to date. Results In this study, we identified and investigated a two-component response regulator, AcfR, with a phosphorylatable N-terminal REC (receiver) domain and a C-terminal HTH (helix-turn-helix) LuxR DNA-binding domain in A. caulinodans ORS571. Phylogenetic analysis showed that AcfR possessed close evolutionary relationships with NarL/FixJ family regulators. In addition, six histidine kinases containing HATPase_c and HisKA domains were predicted to interact with AcfR. Furthermore, the biological function of AcfR in free-living and symbiotic conditions was elucidated by comparing the wild-type strain and the ΔacfR mutant strain. In the free-living state, the cell motility behaviour and exopolysaccharide production of the ΔacfR mutant were significantly reduced compared to those of the wild-type strain. In the symbiotic state, the ΔacfR mutant showed a competitive nodule defect on the stems and roots of the host plant, suggesting that AcfR can provide A. caulinodans with an effective competitive ability for symbiotic nodulation. Conclusions Our results showed that AcfR, as a response regulator, regulates numerous phenotypes of A. caulinodans under the free-living conditions and in symbiosis with the host plant. The results of this study help to elucidate the involvement of a REC + HTH_LuxR two-component response regulator in the Rhizobium-host plant interaction.

scholarly journals CgHog1-Mediated CgRds2 Phosphorylation Alters Glycerophospholipid Composition To Coordinate Osmotic Stress in Candida glabrata

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengjin Wu ◽  
Jiali Zhang ◽  
Guoxing Zhu ◽  
Rui Yao ◽  
Xiulai Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Growth ◽  
Osmotic Stress ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Zinc Cluster

ABSTRACT Under stress conditions, Hog1 is required for cell survival through transiently phosphorylating downstream targets and reprogramming gene expression. Here, we report that Candida glabrata Hog1 (CgHog1) interacts with and phosphorylates CgRds2, a zinc cluster transcription factor, in response to osmotic stress. Additionally, we found that deletion of CgRDS2 led to decreases in cell growth and cell survival by 23.4% and 39.6%, respectively, at 1.5 M NaCl, compared with levels of the wild-type strain. This is attributed to significant downregulation of the expression levels of glycerophospholipid metabolism genes. As a result, the content of total glycerophospholipid decreased by 30.3%. Membrane integrity also decreased 47.6% in the Cgrds2Δ strain at 1.5 M NaCl. In contrast, overexpression of CgRDS2 increased the cell growth and cell survival by 10.2% and 6.3%, respectively, owing to a significant increase in the total glycerophospholipid content and increased membrane integrity by 27.2% and 12.1%, respectively, at 1.5 M NaCl, compared with levels for the wild-type strain. However, a strain in which the CgRDS2 gene encodes the replacement of Ser64 and Thr97 residues with alanines (Cgrds22A), harboring a CgRds2 protein that was not phosphorylated by CgHog1, failed to promote glycerophospholipid metabolism and membrane integrity at 1.5 M NaCl. Thus, the above results demonstrate that CgHog1-mediated CgRds2 phosphorylation enhanced glycerophospholipid composition and membrane integrity to resist osmotic stress in C. glabrata. IMPORTANCE This study explored the role of CgHog1-mediated CgRds2 phosphorylation in response to osmotic stress in Candida glabrata. CgHog1 interacts with and phosphorylates CgRds2, a zinc cluster transcription factor, under osmotic stress. Phosphorylated CgRds2 plays an important role in increasing glycerophospholipid composition and membrane integrity, thereby enhancing cell growth and survival.

scholarly journals Improvement of Phosphate Solubilization and Medicago Plant Yield by an Indole-3-Acetic Acid-Overproducing Strain of Sinorhizobium meliloti

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (14) ◽  
pp. 4626-4632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Bianco ◽  
Roberto Defez
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
System A ◽  
Indole 3 Acetic Acid

ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the most limiting factors for plant growth. Some microorganisms improve the uptake and availability of N and P, minimizing chemical fertilizer dependence. It has been published that the RD64 strain, a Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 strain engineered to overproduce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), showed improved nitrogen fixation ability compared to the wild-type 1021 strain. Here, we present data showing that RD64 is also highly effective in mobilizing P from insoluble sources, such as phosphate rock (PR). Under P-limiting conditions, the higher level of P-mobilizing activity of RD64 than of the 1021 wild-type strain is connected with the upregulation of genes coding for the high-affinity P transport system, the induction of acid phosphatase activity, and the increased secretion into the growth medium of malic, succinic, and fumaric acids. Medicago truncatula plants nodulated by RD64 (Mt-RD64), when grown under P-deficient conditions, released larger amounts of another P-solubilizing organic acid, 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, than plants nodulated by the wild-type strain (Mt-1021). It has already been shown that Mt-RD64 plants exhibited higher levels of dry-weight production than Mt-1021 plants. Here, we also report that P-starved Mt-RD64 plants show significant increases in both shoot and root fresh weights when compared to P-starved Mt-1021 plants. We discuss how, in a Rhizobium-legume model system, a balanced interplay of different factors linked to bacterial IAA overproduction rather than IAA production per se stimulates plant growth under stressful environmental conditions and, in particular, under P starvation.

scholarly journals Environmental Regulation of Exopolysaccharide Production in Sinorhizobium meliloti

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiprian E. Mendrygal ◽  
Juan E. González
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Weight Fraction ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Exopolysaccharide Production ◽  
Successful Establishment ◽  
High Phosphate

ABSTRACT Exopolysaccharide production by Sinorhizobium melilotiis required for invasion of root nodules on alfalfa and successful establishment of a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between the two partners.S. meliloti wild-type strain Rm1021 requires production of either succinoglycan, a polymer of repeating octasaccharide subunits, or EPS II, an exopolysaccharide of repeating dimer subunits. The reason for the production of two functional exopolysaccharides is not clear. Earlier reports suggested that low-phosphate conditions stimulate the production of EPS II in Rm1021. We found that phosphate concentrations determine which exopolysaccharide is produced by S. meliloti. The low-phosphate conditions normally found in the soil (1 to 10 μM) stimulate EPS II production, while the high-phosphate conditions inside the nodule (20 to 100 mM) block EPS II synthesis and induce the production of succinoglycan. Interestingly, the EPS II produced by S. meliloti in low-phosphate conditions does not allow the invasion of alfalfa nodules. We propose that this invasion phenotype is due to the lack of the active molecular weight fraction of EPS II required for nodule invasion. An analysis of the function of PhoB in this differential exopolysaccharide production is presented.

scholarly journals Megaplasmid pRme2011a of Sinorhizobium meliloti Is Not Required for Viability

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (12) ◽  
pp. 3582-3586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan J. Oresnik ◽  
Shu-Lin Liu ◽  
Christopher K. Yost ◽  
Michael F. Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Selection Strategy ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Defined Media

ABSTRACT We report the curing of the 1,360-kb megaplasmid pRme2011a fromSinorhizobium meliloti strain Rm2011. With a positive selection strategy that utilized Tn5B12-S containing thesacB gene, we were able to cure this replicon by successive rounds of selecting for deletion formation in vivo. Subsequent Southern blot, Eckhardt gel, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that the resultant strain was indeed missing pRme2011a. The cured derivative grew as well as the wild-type strain in both complex and defined media but was unable to use a number of substrates as a sole source of carbon on defined media.

scholarly journals The Sinorhizobium meliloti Lon Protease Is Involved in Regulating Exopolysaccharide Synthesis and Is Required for Nodulation of Alfalfa

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (9) ◽  
pp. 2551-2558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Summers ◽  
Lina M. Botero ◽  
Scott C. Busse ◽  
Timothy R. McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Insertion Site ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Phosphate Limitation ◽  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis ◽  
Lon Protease ◽  
Wild Type

ABSTRACT While screening for Sinorhizobium meliloti Pho regulatory mutants, a transposon mutant was isolated that constitutively expressed higher levels of acid and alkaline phosphatase enzymes. This mutant was also found to form pseudonodules on alfalfa that were delayed in appearance relative to those formed by the wild-type strain, it contained few bacteroids, and it did not fix nitrogen. Sequence analysis of the transposon insertion site revealed the affected gene to have high homology to Lon proteases from a number of organisms. In minimal succinate medium, the mutant strain was found to grow more slowly, reach lower maximal optical density, and produce more extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) than the wild-type strain. The mutant fluoresced brightly on minimal succinate agar containing calcofluor (which binds to EPSI, a constitutively expressed succinoglycan), and gas chromotographic analysis of purified total EPS showed that the glucose-to-galactose ratio in the lonmutant total EPS was 5.0 ± 0.2 (mean ± standard error), whereas the glucose-to-galactose ratio in the wild-type strain was 7.1 ± 0.5. These data suggested that in addition to EPSI, thelon mutant also constitutively synthesized EPSII, a galactoglucan which is the second major EPS known to be produced byS. meliloti, but typically is expressed only under conditions of phosphate limitation. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed no major differences between EPS purified from the mutant and wild-type strains. Normal growth, EPS production, and the symbiotic phenotype were restored in the mutant strain when the wild-type lon gene was present intrans. The results of this study suggest that the S. meliloti Lon protease is important for controlling turnover of a constitutively expressed protein(s) that, when unregulated, disrupts normal nodule formation and normal growth.

Short-Term Regulation of Nitrogenase Activity by NH4+ in Rhodobacter capsulatus: Multiple In Vivo Nitrogenase Responses to NH4+ Addition

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (23) ◽  
pp. 6392-6395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander F. Yakunin ◽  
Patrick C. Hallenbeck
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Rhodobacter Capsulatus ◽  
Nitrogenase Activity ◽  
Photosynthetic Bacterium ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Magnitude Response ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Reversible Inhibition

ABSTRACT The photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus has been shown to carry out nitrogenase “switch-off,” a rapid, reversible inhibition of in vivo activity. Here, we demonstrate that highly nitrogen-limited cultures of both the wild-type strain and adraT draG mutant are capable of nitrogenase switch-off while moderately nitrogen-limited cultures show instead a “magnitude” response, with a decrease in in vivo nitrogenase activity that is proportional to the amount of added NH4 +.

scholarly journals Functional Characterization of the Sinorhizobium meliloti Acetate Metabolism Genes aceA, SMc00767, and glcB

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (16) ◽  
pp. 5875-5884 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Ramírez-Trujillo ◽  
S. Encarnación ◽  
E. Salazar ◽  
A. García de los Santos ◽  
M. F. Dunn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Isocitrate Lyase ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Malate Synthase ◽  
Acetate Metabolism ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Wild Type

ABSTRACT The genes encoding malate synthase (glcB) and isocitrate lyase (aceA) and a 240-bp open reading frame (SMc00767) located downstream of aceA were isolated and functionally characterized in Sinorhizobium meliloti. Independent and double interposon mutants of each gene were constructed, and the corresponding phenotypes were analyzed. aceA mutants failed to grow on acetate, and mutants deficient in SMc00767 were also affected in acetate utilization. In contrast, mutants deficient in glcB grew on acetate similar to wild-type strain Rm5000. Complementation experiments showed that aceA and SMc00767 gene constructs were able to restore the growth on acetate in the corresponding single mutants. aceA-glcB, aceA-SMc00767, and glcB-SMc00767 double knockouts were also unable to grow on acetate, but this ability was recovered when the wild-type aceA-glcB or aceA-SMc00767 loci were introduced into the double mutants. These data confirm the functional role of aceA and SMc00767 and show that glcB, in the absence of SMc00767, is required for acetate metabolism. Isocitrate lyase and malate synthase activities were measured in strain Rm5000, the mutant derivatives, and complemented strains. aceA and glcB were able to complement the enzymatic activity lacking in the corresponding single mutants. The enzymatic activities also showed that SMc00767 represses the activity of isocitrate lyase in cells grown on acetate. Gene fusions confirmed the repressor role of SMc00767, which regulates aceA expression at the transcriptional level. Comparison of the transcriptional profiles of the SMc00767 mutant and wild-type strain Rm5000 showed that SMc00767 represses the expression of a moderate number of open reading frames, including aceA; thus, we propose that SMc00767 is a novel repressor involved in acetate metabolism in S. meliloti. Genetic and functional analyses indicated that aceA and SMc00767 constitute a functional two-gene operon, which is conserved in other α-proteobacteria. Alfalfa plants infected with the aceA and glcB mutants were not impaired in nodulation or nitrogen fixation, and so the glyoxylate cycle is not required in the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis.

scholarly journals Roles offkbNin Positive Regulation andtcs7in Negative Regulation of FK506 Biosynthesis in Streptomyces sp. Strain KCTC 11604BP

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 2249-2255 ◽  
Author(s):  
SangJoon Mo ◽  
Young Ji Yoo ◽  
Yeon Hee Ban ◽  
Sung-Kwon Lee ◽  
Eunji Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Strain Improvement ◽  
Transcriptional Regulators ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Cluster ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Biosynthetic Genes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
In The Wild

ABSTRACTFK506 is an important 23-member polyketide macrolide with immunosuppressant activity. Its entire biosynthetic gene cluster was previously cloned fromStreptomycessp. strain KCTC 11604BP, and sequence analysis identified three putative regulatory genes,tcs2,tcs7, andfkbN, which encode proteins with high similarity to the AsnC family transcriptional regulators, LysR-type transcriptional regulators, and LAL family transcriptional regulators, respectively. Overexpression and in-frame deletion oftcs2did not affect the production of FK506 or co-occurring FK520 compared to results for the wild-type strain, suggesting thattcs2is not involved in their biosynthesis.fkbNoverexpression improved the levels of FK506 and FK520 production by approximately 2.0-fold, and a deletion offkbNcaused the complete loss of FK506 and FK520 production. Although the overexpression oftcs7decreased the levels of FK506 and FK520 production slightly, a deletion oftcs7caused 1.9-fold and 1.5-fold increases in FK506 and FK520 production, respectively. Finally,fkbNoverexpression in thetcs7deletion strain resulted in a 4.0-fold (21 mg liter−1) increase in FK506 production compared to that by the wild-type strain. This suggests thatfkbNencodes a positive regulatory protein essential for FK506/FK520 biosynthesis and that the gene product oftcs7negatively regulates their biosynthesis, demonstrating the potential of exploiting this information for strain improvement. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analyses of the transcription levels of the FK506 biosynthetic genes in the wild-type and mutant strains proved that most of the FK506 biosynthetic genes are regulated byfkbNin a positive manner and negatively bytcs7.

scholarly journals A Chemotaxis Receptor Modulates Nodulation during the Azorhizobium caulinodans-Sesbania rostrata Symbiosis

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (11) ◽  
pp. 3174-3184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Hailong Wu ◽  
Zhenhai Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Bacterial Chemotaxis ◽  
Sesbania Rostrata ◽  
Nitrogen Fixing ◽  
Azorhizobium Caulinodans ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTAzorhizobium caulinodansORS571 is a free-living nitrogen-fixing bacterium which can induce nitrogen-fixing nodules both on the root and the stem of its legume hostSesbania rostrata. This bacterium, which is an obligate aerobe that moves by means of a polar flagellum, possesses a single chemotaxis signal transduction pathway. The objective of this work was to examine the role that chemotaxis and aerotaxis play in the lifestyle of the bacterium in free-living and symbiotic conditions. In bacterial chemotaxis, chemoreceptors sense environmental changes and transmit this information to the chemotactic machinery to guide motile bacteria to preferred niches. Here, we characterized a chemoreceptor ofA. caulinodanscontaining an N-terminal PAS domain, named IcpB. IcpB is a soluble heme-binding protein that localized at the cell poles. AnicpBmutant strain was impaired in sensing oxygen gradients and in chemotaxis response to organic acids. Compared to the wild-type strain, theicpBmutant strain was also affected in the production of extracellular polysaccharides and impaired in flocculation. When inoculated alone, theicpBmutant induced nodules onS. rostrata, but the nodules formed were smaller and had reduced N2-fixing activity. TheicpBmutant failed to nodulate its host when inoculated competitively with the wild-type strain. Together, the results identify chemotaxis and sensing of oxygen by IcpB as key regulators of theA. caulinodans-S. rostratasymbiosis.IMPORTANCEBacterial chemotaxis has been implicated in the establishment of various plant-microbe associations, including that of rhizobial symbionts with their legume host. The exact signal(s) detected by the motile bacteria that guide them to their plant hosts remain poorly characterized.Azorhizobium caulinodansORS571 is a diazotroph that is a motile and chemotactic rhizobial symbiont ofSesbania rostrata, where it forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on both the roots and the stems of the legume host. We identify here a chemotaxis receptor sensing oxygen inA. caulinodansthat is critical for nodulation and nitrogen fixation on the stems and roots ofS. rostrata. These results identify oxygen sensing and chemotaxis as key regulators of theA. caulinodans-S. rostratasymbiosis.

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