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. 1995 Jun;177(11):3332–3336. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.11.3332-3336.1995

Vectors for determining the differential expression of genes in heterocysts and vegetative cells of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.

C C Bauer 1, R Haselkorn 1
PMCID: PMC177030  PMID: 7768837

Abstract

Plasmid vectors were constructed to study promoters of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. Plasmid pCCBSelect contains the promoterless reporter genes in the order cat-nifHDK. In pCCBSelect/a, the nifHDK operon precedes the cat gene. Putative promoter sequences were cloned into a polylinker region upstream of the reporter genes. Activity in heterocysts was determined by complementation of a strain containing a deletion of the nifH gene. Activity in vegetative cells was determined by measuring resistance to chloramphenicol. The promoter of the nifHDK operon was active only in heterocysts; the promoter of the nifJ gene was active only in iron-depleted medium; and the promoters of the psbB gene, the ntcA gene, and a newly found transcription factor gene were all active in both cell types.

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Selected References

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