Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1992 Nov;174(22):7273–7282. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.22.7273-7282.1992

Identification of multiple RNA polymerase sigma factor homologs in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120: cloning, expression, and inactivation of the sigB and sigC genes.

B Brahamsha 1, R Haselkorn 1
PMCID: PMC207421  PMID: 1385387

Abstract

The sigA gene of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, encoding the principal RNA polymerase sigma factor, and the complement of the rpoD oligonucleotide (K. Tanaka, T. Shiina, and H. Takahashi, Science 242:1040-1042, 1988) were used as probes to isolate two genes, sigB and sigC, which encode two putative sigma factors exhibiting high degrees of similarity to SigA, to HrdA, -B, -C, and -D of Streptomyces coelicolor, and to KatF of Escherichia coli. sigB and sigC code for polypeptides of 332 and 416 amino acids with predicted molecular weights of 38,431 and 47,459, respectively. sigB and sigC mRNAs are detectable only under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Insertional inactivation of sigB and sigC indicates that neither gene alone is essential for nitrogen fixation or heterocyst differentiation.

Full text

PDF
7273

Images in this article

7276Image
on p.7276
7277Image
on p.7277
7281Image
on p.7281
7281Image
on p.7281

Selected References

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

  1. Apelian D., Inouye S. Development-specific sigma-factor essential for late-stage differentiation of Myxococcus xanthus. Genes Dev. 1990 Aug;4(8):1396–1403. doi: 10.1101/gad.4.8.1396. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bhagwat A. A., Apte S. K. Comparative analysis of proteins induced by heat shock, salinity, and osmotic stress in the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain L-31. J Bacteriol. 1989 Sep;171(9):5187–5189. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.9.5187-5189.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brahamsha B., Haselkorn R. Isolation and characterization of the gene encoding the principal sigma factor of the vegetative cell RNA polymerase from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. J Bacteriol. 1991 Apr;173(8):2442–2450. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.8.2442-2450.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burton Z., Burgess R. R., Lin J., Moore D., Holder S., Gross C. A. The nucleotide sequence of the cloned rpoD gene for the RNA polymerase sigma subunit from E coli K12. Nucleic Acids Res. 1981 Jun 25;9(12):2889–2903. doi: 10.1093/nar/9.12.2889. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Buttner M. J., Chater K. F., Bibb M. J. Cloning, disruption, and transcriptional analysis of three RNA polymerase sigma factor genes of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). J Bacteriol. 1990 Jun;172(6):3367–3378. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.6.3367-3378.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cai Y. P., Wolk C. P. Use of a conditionally lethal gene in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 to select for double recombinants and to entrap insertion sequences. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jun;172(6):3138–3145. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.6.3138-3145.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chater K. F., Bruton C. J., Plaskitt K. A., Buttner M. J., Méndez C., Helmann J. D. The developmental fate of S. coelicolor hyphae depends upon a gene product homologous with the motility sigma factor of B. subtilis. Cell. 1989 Oct 6;59(1):133–143. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90876-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Collier J. L., Grossman A. R. Chlorosis induced by nutrient deprivation in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942: not all bleaching is the same. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jul;174(14):4718–4726. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.14.4718-4726.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Elhai J., Wolk C. P. Conjugal transfer of DNA to cyanobacteria. Methods Enzymol. 1988;167:747–754. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(88)67086-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Elhai J., Wolk C. P. Developmental regulation and spatial pattern of expression of the structural genes for nitrogenase in the cyanobacterium Anabaena. EMBO J. 1990 Oct;9(10):3379–3388. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb07539.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gardella T., Moyle H., Susskind M. M. A mutant Escherichia coli sigma 70 subunit of RNA polymerase with altered promoter specificity. J Mol Biol. 1989 Apr 20;206(4):579–590. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(89)90567-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gitt M. A., Wang L. F., Doi R. H. A strong sequence homology exists between the major RNA polymerase sigma factors of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1985 Jun 25;260(12):7178–7185. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Golden J. W., Wiest D. R. Genome rearrangement and nitrogen fixation in Anabaena blocked by inactivation of xisA gene. Science. 1988 Dec 9;242(4884):1421–1423. doi: 10.1126/science.3144039. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gribskov M., Burgess R. R. Sigma factors from E. coli, B. subtilis, phage SP01, and phage T4 are homologous proteins. Nucleic Acids Res. 1986 Aug 26;14(16):6745–6763. doi: 10.1093/nar/14.16.6745. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Grossman A. D., Erickson J. W., Gross C. A. The htpR gene product of E. coli is a sigma factor for heat-shock promoters. Cell. 1984 Sep;38(2):383–390. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90493-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Helmann J. D. Alternative sigma factors and the regulation of flagellar gene expression. Mol Microbiol. 1991 Dec;5(12):2875–2882. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb01847.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Helmann J. D., Chamberlin M. J. Structure and function of bacterial sigma factors. Annu Rev Biochem. 1988;57:839–872. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.57.070188.004203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hirschman J., Wong P. K., Sei K., Keener J., Kustu S. Products of nitrogen regulatory genes ntrA and ntrC of enteric bacteria activate glnA transcription in vitro: evidence that the ntrA product is a sigma factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Nov;82(22):7525–7529. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.22.7525. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kraft R., Tardiff J., Krauter K. S., Leinwand L. A. Using mini-prep plasmid DNA for sequencing double stranded templates with Sequenase. Biotechniques. 1988 Jun;6(6):544-6, 549. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Landick R., Vaughn V., Lau E. T., VanBogelen R. A., Erickson J. W., Neidhardt F. C. Nucleotide sequence of the heat shock regulatory gene of E. coli suggests its protein product may be a transcription factor. Cell. 1984 Aug;38(1):175–182. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90538-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Lange R., Hengge-Aronis R. Identification of a central regulator of stationary-phase gene expression in Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol. 1991 Jan;5(1):49–59. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb01825.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. McCann M. P., Kidwell J. P., Matin A. The putative sigma factor KatF has a central role in development of starvation-mediated general resistance in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1991 Jul;173(13):4188–4194. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.13.4188-4194.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Meeks J. C., Wolk C. P., Lockau W., Schilling N., Shaffer P. W., Chien W. S. Pathways of assimilation of [13N]N2 and 13NH4+ by cyanobacteria with and without heterocysts. J Bacteriol. 1978 Apr;134(1):125–130. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.1.125-130.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Mulligan M. E., Haselkorn R. Nitrogen fixation (nif) genes of the cyanobacterium Anabaena species strain PCC 7120. The nifB-fdxN-nifS-nifU operon. J Biol Chem. 1989 Nov 15;264(32):19200–19207. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mulvey M. R., Loewen P. C. Nucleotide sequence of katF of Escherichia coli suggests KatF protein is a novel sigma transcription factor. Nucleic Acids Res. 1989 Dec 11;17(23):9979–9991. doi: 10.1093/nar/17.23.9979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Murry M. A., Horne A. J., Benemann J. R. Physiological Studies of Oxygen Protection Mechanisms in the Heterocysts of Anabaena cylindrica. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984 Mar;47(3):449–454. doi: 10.1128/aem.47.3.449-454.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Sanger F., Nicklen S., Coulson A. R. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5463–5467. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Schneider G. J., Lang J. D., Haselkorn R. Promoter recognition by the RNA polymerase from vegetative cells of the cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120. Gene. 1991 Aug 30;105(1):51–60. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(91)90513-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Shiina T., Tanaka K., Takahashi H. Sequence of hrdB, an essential gene encoding sigma-like transcription factor of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2): homology to principal sigma factors. Gene. 1991 Oct 30;107(1):145–148. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(91)90308-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Siegele D. A., Hu J. C., Walter W. A., Gross C. A. Altered promoter recognition by mutant forms of the sigma 70 subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. J Mol Biol. 1989 Apr 20;206(4):591–603. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(89)90568-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Tanaka K., Shiina T., Takahashi H. Multiple principal sigma factor homologs in eubacteria: identification of the "rpoD box". Science. 1988 Nov 18;242(4881):1040–1042. doi: 10.1126/science.3194753. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Tanaka K., Shiina T., Takahashi H. Nucleotide sequence of genes hrdA, hrdC, and hrdD from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) having similarity to rpoD genes. Mol Gen Genet. 1991 Oct;229(3):334–340. doi: 10.1007/BF00267453. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Waldburger C., Gardella T., Wong R., Susskind M. M. Changes in conserved region 2 of Escherichia coli sigma 70 affecting promoter recognition. J Mol Biol. 1990 Sep 20;215(2):267–276. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(05)80345-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Wolk C. P. Movement of carbon from vegetative cells to heterocysts in Anabaena cylindrica. J Bacteriol. 1968 Dec;96(6):2138–2143. doi: 10.1128/jb.96.6.2138-2143.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Yanisch-Perron C., Vieira J., Messing J. Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985;33(1):103–119. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90120-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES