Isolation of carbon- and nitrogen-deprivation-induced loci of Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 by Tn5-luxAB mutagenesis.
Soil bacteria, such as Sinorhizobium meliloti, are subject to variation in environmental conditions, including carbon- and nitrogen-deprivation. The ability of bacteria to sense changes in their environment and respond accordingly is of vital importance to their survival and persistence in the soil and rhizosphere. A derivative of Tn5 which creates transcriptional fusions to the promoterless luxAB genes was used to mutagenize S. meliloti 1021 and 5000 insertion mutants were subsequently screened for gene fusions induced by selected environmental stresses. The isolation of 21 gene fusions induced by nitrogen-deprivation and 12 induced by carbon-deprivation is described. Cloning and partial DNA sequence analysis of the transposon-tagged loci revealed a variety of novel genes, as well as S. meliloti genes with significant similarity to known bacterial loci. In addition, nodule occupancy studies were carried out with selected Tn5-luxAB insertion mutants to examine the role of the tagged genes in competition.
Milcamps
Anne
A
MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory,Rm 306, Plant Biology Building University, East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.|NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, University,East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.
Ragatz
Daniel M
DM
MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory,Rm 306, Plant Biology Building University, East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.|NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, University,East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.
Lim
PyungOk
P
MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory,Rm 306, Plant Biology Building University, East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.|NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, University,East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.
Berger
Kelly A
KA
MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory,Rm 306, Plant Biology Building University, East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.
de Bruijin
Frans J
FJ
NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, University,East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.|Department of Microbiology, Michigan State University,East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.|MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory,Rm 306, Plant Biology Building University, East Lansing, MI 48824,USA.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008156:Luciferases; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012230:Rhizobiaceae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D002244:Carbon; D008156:Luciferases; D009584:Nitrogen