title: Citrate synthase mutants of Sinorhizobium meliloti are ineffective and have altered cell surface polysaccharides.
abstract: The gltA gene, encoding Sinorhizobium meliloti 104A14 citrate synthase, was isolated by complementing an Escherichia coli gltA mutant. The S. meliloti gltA gene was mutated by inserting a kanamycin resistance gene and then using homologous recombination to replace the wild-type gltA with the gltA::kan allele. The resulting strain, CSDX1, was a glutamate auxotroph, and enzyme assays confirmed the absence of a requirement for glutamate. CSDX1 did not grow on succinate, malate, aspartate, pyruvate, or glucose. CSDX1 produced an unusual blue fluorescence on medium containing Calcofluor, which is different from the green fluorescence found with 104A14. High concentrations of arabinose (0.4%) or succinate (0. 2%) restored the green fluorescence to CSDX1. High-performance liquid chromatography analyses showed that CSDX1 produced partially succinylated succinoglycan. CSDX1 was able to form nodules on alfalfa, but these nodules were not able to fix nitrogen. The symbiotic defect of a citrate synthase mutant could thus be due to disruption of the infection process or to the lack of energy generated by the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-6340, USA.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Mortimer
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: York
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kahn
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007522:Isocitrate Lyase / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010641:Phenotype; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D016962:Sinorhizobium meliloti / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase; D007522:Isocitrate Lyase