Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1987 May;169(5):2231–2238. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.5.2231-2238.1987

A new symbiotic cluster on the pSym megaplasmid of Rhizobium meliloti 2011 carries a functional fix gene repeat and a nod locus.

M H Renalier, J Batut, J Ghai, B Terzaghi, M Gherardi, M David, A M Garnerone, J Vasse, G Truchet, T Huguet, et al.
PMCID: PMC212139  PMID: 3571166

Abstract

A 290-kilobase (kb) region of the Rhizobium meliloti 2011 pSym megaplasmid, which contains nodulation genes (nod) as well as genes involved in nitrogen fixation (nif and fix), was shown to carry at least six sequences repeated elsewhere in the genome. One of these reiterated sequences, about 5 kb in size, had previously been identified as part of a cluster of fix genes located 220 kb downstream of the nifHDK promoter. Deletion of the reiterated part of this fix cluster does not alter the symbiotic phenotype. Deletion of the second copy of this reiterated sequence, which maps on pSym 40 kb upstream of the nifHDK promoter, also has no effect. Deletion of both of these copies however leads to a Fix- phenotype, indicating that both sequences carry functionally reiterated fix gene(s). The fix copy 40 kb upstream of nifHDK is part of a symbiotic cluster which also carries a nod locus, the deletion of which produces a marked delay in nodulation.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

2234Image
on p.2234
2235Image
on p.2235
2237Image
on p.2237

Selected References

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

  1. Aguilar O. M., Kapp D., Pühler A. Characterization of a Rhizobium meliloti fixation gene (fixF) located near the common nodulation region. J Bacteriol. 1985 Oct;164(1):245–254. doi: 10.1128/jb.164.1.245-254.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burkardt B., Burkardt H. J. Visualization and exact molecular weight determination of a Rhizobium meliloti megaplasmid. J Mol Biol. 1984 May 15;175(2):213–218. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90475-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bánfalvi Z., Sakanyan V., Koncz C., Kiss A., Dusha I., Kondorosi A. Location of nodulation and nitrogen fixation genes on a high molecular weight plasmid of R. meliloti. Mol Gen Genet. 1981;184(2):318–325. doi: 10.1007/BF00272925. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Castilho B. A., Olfson P., Casadaban M. J. Plasmid insertion mutagenesis and lac gene fusion with mini-mu bacteriophage transposons. J Bacteriol. 1984 May;158(2):488–495. doi: 10.1128/jb.158.2.488-495.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. David M., Domergue O., Pognonec P., Kahn D. Transcription patterns of Rhizobium meliloti symbiotic plasmid pSym: identification of nifA-independent fix genes. J Bacteriol. 1987 May;169(5):2239–2244. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.5.2239-2244.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Debellé F., Rosenberg C., Vasse J., Maillet F., Martinez E., Dénarié J., Truchet G. Assignment of symbiotic developmental phenotypes to common and specific nodulation (nod) genetic loci of Rhizobium meliloti. J Bacteriol. 1986 Dec;168(3):1075–1086. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.3.1075-1086.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Debellé F., Sharma S. B. Nucleotide sequence of Rhizobium meliloti RCR2011 genes involved in host specificity of nodulation. Nucleic Acids Res. 1986 Sep 25;14(18):7453–7472. doi: 10.1093/nar/14.18.7453. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dixon L. K., Koenig I., Hohn T. Mutagenesis of cauliflower mosaic virus. Gene. 1983 Nov;25(2-3):189–199. doi: 10.1016/s0378-1119(83)80001-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Finan T. M., Wood J. M., Jordan D. C. Symbiotic properties of C4-dicarboxylic acid transport mutants of Rhizobium leguminosarum. J Bacteriol. 1983 Jun;154(3):1403–1413. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.3.1403-1413.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Friedman A. M., Long S. R., Brown S. E., Buikema W. J., Ausubel F. M. Construction of a broad host range cosmid cloning vector and its use in the genetic analysis of Rhizobium mutants. Gene. 1982 Jun;18(3):289–296. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(82)90167-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Inouye S., Ike Y., Inouye M. Tandem repeat of the genes for protein S, a development-specific protein of Myxococcus xanthus. J Biol Chem. 1983 Jan 10;258(1):38–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jacoby G. A., Jacob A. E., Hedges R. W. Recombination between plasmids of incompatibility groups P-1 and P-2. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1278–1285. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1278-1285.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Julliot J. S., Boistard P. Use of RP4-prime plasmids constructed in vitro to promote a polarized transfer of the chromosome in Escherichia coli and Rhizobium meliloti. Mol Gen Genet. 1979 Jun 20;173(3):289–298. doi: 10.1007/BF00268639. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Martin M. O., Long S. R. Generalized transduction in Rhizobium meliloti. J Bacteriol. 1984 Jul;159(1):125–129. doi: 10.1128/jb.159.1.125-129.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mazodier P., Cossart P., Giraud E., Gasser F. Completion of the nucleotide sequence of the central region of Tn5 confirms the presence of three resistance genes. Nucleic Acids Res. 1985 Jan 11;13(1):195–205. doi: 10.1093/nar/13.1.195. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mulligan J. T., Long S. R. Induction of Rhizobium meliloti nodC expression by plant exudate requires nodD. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Oct;82(19):6609–6613. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.19.6609. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Niel C., Guillaume J. B., Bechet M. Mise en évidence de deux enzymes présentant une activit beta-galactosidasique chez Rhizobium meliloti. Can J Microbiol. 1977 Sep;23(9):1178–1181. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Putnoky P., Kiss G. B., Ott I., Kondorosi A. Tn5 carries a streptomycin resistance determinant downstream from the kanamycin resistance gene. Mol Gen Genet. 1983;191(2):288–294. doi: 10.1007/BF00334828. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Putnoky P., Kondorosi A. Two gene clusters of Rhizobium meliloti code for early essential nodulation functions and a third influences nodulation efficiency. J Bacteriol. 1986 Sep;167(3):881–887. doi: 10.1128/jb.167.3.881-887.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Quinto C., De La Vega H., Flores M., Leemans J., Cevallos M. A., Pardo M. A., Azpiroz R., De Lourdes Girard M., Calva E., Palacios R. Nitrogenase reductase: A functional multigene family in Rhizobium phaseoli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Feb;82(4):1170–1174. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.4.1170. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Robson R., Woodley P., Jones R. Second gene (nifH*) coding for a nitrogenase iron protein in Azotobacter chroococcum is adjacent to a gene coding for a ferredoxin-like protein. EMBO J. 1986 Jun;5(6):1159–1163. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04341.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Ronson C. W., Lyttleton P., Robertson J. G. C(4)-dicarboxylate transport mutants of Rhizobium trifolii form ineffective nodules on Trifolium repens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Jul;78(7):4284–4288. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.7.4284. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rosenberg C., Boistard P., Dénarié J., Casse-Delbart F. Genes controlling early and late functions in symbiosis are located on a megaplasmid in Rhizobium meliloti. Mol Gen Genet. 1981;184(2):326–333. doi: 10.1007/BF00272926. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Ruvkun G. B., Ausubel F. M. A general method for site-directed mutagenesis in prokaryotes. Nature. 1981 Jan 1;289(5793):85–88. doi: 10.1038/289085a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Ruvkun G. B., Long S. R., Meade H. M., van den Bos R. C., Ausubel F. M. ISRm1: A Rhizobium meliloti insertion sequence that transposes preferentially into nitrogen fixation genes. J Mol Appl Genet. 1982;1(5):405–418. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Ruvkun G. B., Sundaresan V., Ausubel F. M. Directed transposon Tn5 mutagenesis and complementation analysis of Rhizobium meliloti symbiotic nitrogen fixation genes. Cell. 1982 Jun;29(2):551–559. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90171-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Truchet G., Debellé F., Vasse J., Terzaghi B., Garnerone A. M., Rosenberg C., Batut J., Maillet F., Dénarié J. Identification of a Rhizobium meliloti pSym2011 region controlling the host specificity of root hair curling and nodulation. J Bacteriol. 1985 Dec;164(3):1200–1210. doi: 10.1128/jb.164.3.1200-1210.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wensink P. C., Tabata S., Pachl C. The clustered and scrambled arrangement of moderately repetitive elements in Drosophila DNA. Cell. 1979 Dec;18(4):1231–1246. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90235-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES