title: The ntr genes of Escherichia coli activate the hut and nif operons of Klebsiella pneumoniae.
abstract: Regulation of the synthesis of glutamine synthetase and of the arginine and glutamine transport systems (Ntr phenotype) in Salmonella have been shown to require two regulatory genes on the C-terminal side of the glnA gene (McFarland et al., 1981). We have cloned a HindIII-EcoRI DNA fragment from Escherichia coli coding for analogous properties with respect to the Ntr phenotype in E. coli. A plasmid containing this E. coli DNA fragment joined to another fragment carrying a cyanobacterial glnA gene (but no functional regulatory genes) was introduced into a Klebsiella pneumoniae mutant with a Gln-Ntr- phenotype, i.e., which could not derepress nitrogenase. The cyanobacterial gene made the Klebsiella strain Gln+ and the E. coli DNA fragment made the strain Ntr+, including the ability to derepress nitrogenase fully. Thus the products of the glnA-linked ntr genes of E. coli can regulate expression of the Ntr-dependent genes of Klebsiella.
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000235:genetics*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics*; D009876:Operon; D010641:Phenotype; D010957:Plasmids
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005973:Glutamine; D001120:Arginine; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase