Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1979 Nov;140(2):327–332. doi: 10.1128/jb.140.2.327-332.1979

Mutants of Anabaena strain CA altered in their ability to grow under nitrogen-fixing conditions.

J W Gotto, F R Tabita, C Van Baalen
PMCID: PMC216653  PMID: 115843

Abstract

Mutants of Anabaena strain CA impaired in nitrogenase activity and growth on N2 were isolated and characterized. One mutant was selected for resistance to L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine, and others were selected for resistance to DL-7-azatryptophan or for requirements for combined nitrogen. The mutants varied in sensitivity of growth and nitrogenase activity to atmospheric 02. Several of the mutants whose growth on N2 was impaired under aerobic conditions could grow and reduce acetylene at rates comparable to the wild type when grown microaerobically under N2-CO2 (99:1). The acetylene reduction activity of some of the strains grown under N2-CO2 was immediately and completely lost upon exposure to atmospheric O2, but in at least one strain this loss was reversed when the O2 concentration was lowered, even after 10 h of exposure to air. The characteristics of the O2-sensitive mutants suggest that there may be several sites sensitive to O2 and that the protective mechanism involves several different phenomena.

Full text

PDF
327

Selected References

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

  1. Brill W. J. Regulation and genetics of bacterial nitrogen fixation. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1975;29:109–129. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.29.100175.000545. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Currier T. C., Haury J. F., Wolk C. P. Isolation and preliminary characterization of auxotrophs of a filamentous Cyanobacterium. J Bacteriol. 1977 Mar;129(3):1556–1562. doi: 10.1128/jb.129.3.1556-1562.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dixon R. O. Rhizobia (with particular reference to relationships with host plants). Annu Rev Microbiol. 1969;23:137–158. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.23.100169.001033. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Donze M., Haveman J., Schiereck P. Absence of photosystem 2 in heterocysts of the blue-green alga Anabaena. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1972 Jan 21;256(1):157–161. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(72)90170-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gordon J. K., Brill W. J. Derepression of nitrogenase synthesis in the presence of excess NH4+. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1974 Aug 5;59(3):967–971. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(74)80074-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Haury J. F., Wolk C. P. Classes of Anabaena variabilis mutants with oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase activity. J Bacteriol. 1978 Nov;136(2):688–692. doi: 10.1128/jb.136.2.688-692.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Haystead A., Robinson R., Stewart W. D. Nitrogenase activity in extracts of heterocystous and non-heterocystous blue-green algae. Arch Mikrobiol. 1970;74(3):235–243. doi: 10.1007/BF00408884. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Shanmugam K. T., Valentine R. C. Molecular biology of nitrogen fixation. Science. 1975 Mar 14;187(4180):919–924. doi: 10.1126/science.238283. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. St John R. T., Johnston H. M., Seidman C., Garfinkel D., Gordon J. K., Shah V. K., Brill W. J. Biochemistry and genetics of Klebsiella pneumoniae mutant strains unable to fix N2. J Bacteriol. 1975 Mar;121(3):759–765. doi: 10.1128/jb.121.3.759-765.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Stacey G., Bottomley P. J., Van Baalen C., Tabita F. R. Control of heterocyst and nitrogenase synthesis in cyanobacteria. J Bacteriol. 1979 Jan;137(1):321–326. doi: 10.1128/jb.137.1.321-326.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Stevens S. E., Jr, Van Baalen C. Growth characteristics of selected mutants of a coccoid blue-green alga. Arch Mikrobiol. 1970;72(1):1–8. doi: 10.1007/BF00411008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Stevens S. E., Van Baalen C. Characteristics of Nitrate Reduction in a Mutant of the Blue-Green Alga Agmenellum quadruplicatum. Plant Physiol. 1973 Feb;51(2):350–356. doi: 10.1104/pp.51.2.350. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stewart W. D., Fitzgerald G. P., Burris R. H. Acetylene reduction by nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. Arch Mikrobiol. 1968;62(4):336–348. doi: 10.1007/BF00425639. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Stewart W. D., Lex M. Nitrogenase activity in the blue-green alga Plectonema boryanum strain 594. Arch Mikrobiol. 1970;73(3):250–260. doi: 10.1007/BF00410626. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stewart W. D., Rowell P. Effects of L-methionine-DL-sulphoximine on the assimilation of newly fixed NH3, acetylene reduction and heterocyst production in Anabaena cylindrica. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1975 Aug 4;65(3):846–856. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(75)80463-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Streicher S. L., Shanmugam K. T., Ausubel F., Morandi C., Goldberg R. B. Regulation of nitrogen fixation in Klebsiella pneumoniae: evidence for a role of glutamine synthetase as a regulator of nitrogenase synthesis. J Bacteriol. 1974 Nov;120(2):815–821. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.2.815-821.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. 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]
  19. Wolk C. P. Physiology and cytological chemistry blue-green algae. Bacteriol Rev. 1973 Mar;37(1):32–101. doi: 10.1128/br.37.1.32-101.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES