title: A biotin-regulated locus, bioS, in a possible survival operon of Rhizobium meliloti.
abstract: A novel biotin-inducible DNA locus, bioS, was found in Rhizobium meliloti 1021 by mutation with a transposable promoter probe. The promoterless nptII reporter responded to 40 nM biotin with a sixfold increase in NPTII protein. Stationary-phase mutant cells accumulated 50% more 14C-biotin than corresponding wild-type cells. The prototrophic mutant competed equally with the wild type in biotin-free medium but poorly when 40 nM biotin was present. The 588-bp bioS is located among three genes showing homology to survival operons of other bacteria, and it may be part of a system that R. meliloti uses to respond to plant biotin signals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy and Range Science, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Streit
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D001710:Biotin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003360:Cosmids; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon; D016962:Sinorhizobium meliloti / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001710:Biotin