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. 1980 Nov;77(11):6476–6480. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.11.6476

Nucleotide sequence of a cyanobacterial nifH gene coding for nitrogenase reductase

Moshe Mevarech 1, Douglas Rice 1, Robert Haselkorn 1
PMCID: PMC350308  PMID: 16592916

Abstract

The nucleotide sequence of nifH, the structural gene for nitrogenase reductase (component II or Fe protein of nitrogenase) from the cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120 has been determined. Also reported are 194 bases of the 5′-flanking sequence and 170 bases of the 3′-flanking sequence. The predicted amino acid sequence was compared with that determined for the complete nitrogenase reductase of Clostridium pasteurianum and the cysteine-containing peptides of the protein from Azotobacter vinelandii. Amino acid sequences around five cysteines, located in the NH2-terminal two-thirds of the protein, are highly conserved in all three species. Codon usage in the first gene from a cyanobacterium to be sequenced shows striking asymmetries for eight amino acids.

Keywords: nitrogen fixation, Anabaena, protein sequence homologies

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Selected References

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