Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1994 Sep;176(17):5583–5586. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.17.5583-5586.1994

Mo-independent nitrogenase 3 is advantageous for diazotrophic growth of Azotobacter vinelandii on solid medium containing molybdenum.

R H Maynard 1, R Premakumar 1, P E Bishop 1
PMCID: PMC196755  PMID: 8071245

Abstract

Competition experiments between wild-type Azotobacter vinelandii and a mutant lacking Mo-independent nitrogenase 3 indicate that nitrogenase 3 provides an advantage during diazotrophic growth on agar media containing 100 to 500 nM Na2MoO4 but not in liquid media under the same conditions. Expression of nitrogenase 3 in wild-type cells growing on agar surfaces was verified with an anfH-lacZ fusion and by detection of nitrogenase 3 subunits. These results show that nitrogenase 3 is important for diazotrophic growth on agar medium at molybdenum concentrations that are not limiting for Mo-dependent diazotrophic growth in liquid medium.

Full text

PDF
5583

Images in this article

5585Image
on p.5585

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bishop P. E., Hawkins M. E., Eady R. R. Nitrogen fixation in molybdenum-deficient continuous culture by a strain of Azotobacter vinelandii carrying a deletion of the structural genes for nitrogenase (nifHDK). Biochem J. 1986 Sep 1;238(2):437–442. doi: 10.1042/bj2380437. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bishop P. E., Jarlenski D. M., Hetherington D. R. Evidence for an alternative nitrogen fixation system in Azotobacter vinelandii. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Dec;77(12):7342–7346. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.12.7342. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chisnell J. R., Premakumar R., Bishop P. E. Purification of a second alternative nitrogenase from a nifHDK deletion strain of Azotobacter vinelandii. J Bacteriol. 1988 Jan;170(1):27–33. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.1.27-33.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DE WITT C. W., ROWE J. A. N,O-Diacetylneuraminic acid and N-acetylneuraminic acid in Escherichia coli. Nature. 1959 Aug 1;184(Suppl 6):381–382. doi: 10.1038/184381b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Howarth R. W., Cole J. J. Molybdenum availability, nitrogen limitation, and phytoplankton growth in natural waters. Science. 1985 Aug 16;229(4714):653–655. doi: 10.1126/science.229.4714.653. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jacobson M. R., Premakumar R., Bishop P. E. Transcriptional regulation of nitrogen fixation by molybdenum in Azotobacter vinelandii. J Bacteriol. 1986 Aug;167(2):480–486. doi: 10.1128/jb.167.2.480-486.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Joerger R. D., Jacobson M. R., Premakumar R., Wolfinger E. D., Bishop P. E. Nucleotide sequence and mutational analysis of the structural genes (anfHDGK) for the second alternative nitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii. J Bacteriol. 1989 Feb;171(2):1075–1086. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.2.1075-1086.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Joerger R. D., Wolfinger E. D., Bishop P. E. The gene encoding dinitrogenase reductase 2 is required for expression of the second alternative nitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii. J Bacteriol. 1991 Jul;173(14):4440–4446. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.14.4440-4446.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lehman L. J., Roberts G. P. Identification of an alternative nitrogenase system in Rhodospirillum rubrum. J Bacteriol. 1991 Sep;173(18):5705–5711. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.18.5705-5711.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Miller R. W., Eady R. R. Molybdenum and vanadium nitrogenases of Azotobacter chroococcum. Low temperature favours N2 reduction by vanadium nitrogenase. Biochem J. 1988 Dec 1;256(2):429–432. doi: 10.1042/bj2560429. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Müller A., Schneider K., Knüttel K., Hagen W. R. EPR spectroscopic characterization of an 'iron only' nitrogenase. S = 3/2 spectrum of component 1 isolated from Rhodobacter capsulatus. FEBS Lett. 1992 May 25;303(1):36–40. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(92)80472-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pienkos P. T., Brill W. J. Molybdenum accumulation and storage in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Azotobacter vinelandii. J Bacteriol. 1981 Feb;145(2):743–751. doi: 10.1128/jb.145.2.743-751.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Salhi B., Mendelson N. H. Patterns of gene expression in Bacillus subtilis colonies. J Bacteriol. 1993 Aug;175(16):5000–5008. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.16.5000-5008.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Schneider K., Müller A., Schramm U., Klipp W. Demonstration of a molybdenum- and vanadium-independent nitrogenase in a nifHDK-deletion mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus. Eur J Biochem. 1991 Feb 14;195(3):653–661. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb15750.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Strandberg G. W., Wilson P. W. Formation of the nitrogen-fixing enzyme system in Azotobacter vinelandii. Can J Microbiol. 1968 Jan;14(1):25–31. doi: 10.1139/m68-005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Walmsley J., Kennedy C. Temperature-Dependent Regulation by Molybdenum and Vanadium of Expression of the Structural Genes Encoding Three Nitrogenases in Azotobacter vinelandii. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Feb;57(2):622–624. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.2.622-624.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. van Loosdrecht M. C., Lyklema J., Norde W., Zehnder A. J. Influence of interfaces on microbial activity. Microbiol Rev. 1990 Mar;54(1):75–87. doi: 10.1128/mr.54.1.75-87.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES