Abstract
Glutamine auxotrophic (Gln -) and l-methionine d,l-sulfoximine (MSX) resistant (MSX r) mutants of N. muscorum were isolated and characterized for nitrogen nutrition, nitrogenase activity, glutamine synthetase (GS) activity and glutamine amide, α-keto-glutarate amido transferase (GOGAT) activity. The glutamine auxotroph was found to the GOGAT-containing GS-defective, incapable of growth with N2 or NH +4 but capable of growth with glutamine as nitrogen source, thus, suggesting GS to be the primary enzyme of both ammonia assimilation and glutamine formation in the cyanobacterium. The results of transformation and reversion studies suggests that glutamine auxotrophy is the result of a mutation in the gln A gene and that gln A gene can be transferred from one strain to another by transformation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Daniell H, McFadden BA (1986) Characterization of DNA uptake by the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans. Mol Gen Genet 204:243–248
Kerby NW, Rowell P, Stewart WDP (1985) Ethylenediamine uptake metabolism in the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis. Arch Microbiol 141:244–248
Kratz WA, Mayer J (1955) Nutrition and growth of several blue green algae. Am J Bot 42:282–287
Kuck U, Mulligan J (1984) DNA transformation in cyanobacteria, algae and fungi: Trends in perspectives. Prog Bot 46:192–207
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr A, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement by folin-phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
McKinney G (1941) Absorption of light by chlorophyll solutions. J Biol Chem 140:315–322
Mazur BJ, Rice D, Haselkorn R (1980) Identification of blue green algal nitrogen fixation genes by using heterologous DNA hybridization probes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77:186–190
Rai AN, Rowell P, Stewart WDP (1981) Glutamate synthase activity in symbiotic cyanobacteria. J Gen Microbiol 126:515–518
Sampaio MJAM, Rowell P, Stewart WDP (1979) Purification and some properties of glutamine synthetase from the nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria Anabaena cylindrica and a Nostoc sp. J Gen Microbiol 111:181–191
Shestakov SV, Khyen NT (1970) Evidence for genetic transformation in the blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans. Mol Gen Genet 107:372–375
Singh DT, Bagchi SN, Modi DR, Singh HN (1987a) Evidence for inter-generic transformation in filamentous, diazotrophic cyanobacteria. New Phytol 107:347–356
Singh DT, Nirmala K, Modi DR, Katiyar S, Singh HN (1987b) Genetic transfer of herbicide resistance gene(s) from Gloeocapsa spp. to Nostoc muscorum. Mol Gen Genet 208:436–438
Singh HN, Rai UN, Rao VV, Bagchi SN (1983a) Evidence for ammonia as an inhibitor of heterocyst and nitrogenase formation in the cyanobacterium Anabaena cycadeae. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 111:180–187
Singh HN, Singh RK, Sharma R (1983b) An l-methionine D, l-sulfoximine resistant mutant of the cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum showing inhibitor-resistant-glutamyl-transferase, defective glutamine synthetase and producing extracellular ammonia during N2-fixation. FEBS Lett 154:10–14
Stewart WDP, Singh HN (1975) Transfer of nitrogen-fixing (nif) genes in the blue-green alga Nostoc muscorum. Biochem Biphys Res Commun 62:62–69
Stewart WDP, Haystead A, Dharamwardene MWN (1975) Nitrogen assimilation and metabolism in blue green algae, In: Stewart WDP (ed) Nitrogen fixation by free living microorganisms. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 129–158
Thomas J, Meeks JC, Wolk CP, Shaffer PW, Austin SM, Chien WS (1977) Formation of glutamine from 13N ammonia, 13N dinitrogen and 14C glutamate by heterocyst isolated from Anabaena cylindrica. J Bacteriol 129:1545–1555
Trehan K, Sinha U (1981) Genetic transfer in a nitrogen fixing filamentous cyanobacteria. J Gen Microbiol 124:349–352
Wolk CP, Thomas J, Shaffer PW, Austin SM, Galonsky A (1976) Pathways of nitrogen metabolism after fixation of 13N labelled nitrogen gas by the cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica. J Biol Chem 251:5027–5034
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Verma, S.K., Singh, A.K., Katiyar, S. et al. Genetic transformation of glutamine auxotrophy to prototrophy in the cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum . Arch. Microbiol. 154, 414–416 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00276541
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00276541