Project description:the acetylation sites, peptides and protein numbers in Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS 571 were identified, and bioinformatics analysis was performed.
Project description:BACKGROUND: Biological nitrogen fixation is a prokaryotic process that plays an essential role in the global nitrogen cycle. Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 has the dual capacity to fix nitrogen both as free-living organism and in a symbiotic interaction with Sesbania rostrata. The host is a fast-growing, submergence-tolerant tropical legume on which A. caulinodans can efficiently induce nodule formation on the root system and on adventitious rootlets located on the stem. RESULTS: The 5.37-Mb genome consists of a single circular chromosome with an overall average GC of 67% and numerous islands with varying GC contents. Most nodulation functions as well as a putative type-IV secretion system are found in a distinct symbiosis region. The genome contains a plethora of regulatory and transporter genes and many functions possibly involved in contacting a host. It potentially encodes 4717 proteins of which 96.3% have homologs and 3.7% are unique for A. caulinodans. Phylogenetic analyses show that the diazotroph Xanthobacter autotrophicus is the closest relative among the sequenced genomes, but the synteny between both genomes is very poor. CONCLUSION: The genome analysis reveals that A. caulinodans is a diazotroph that acquired the capacity to nodulate most probably through horizontal gene transfer of a complex symbiosis island. The genome contains numerous genes that reflect a strong adaptive and metabolic potential. These combined features and the availability of the annotated genome make A. caulinodans an attractive organism to explore symbiotic biological nitrogen fixation beyond leguminous plants.
Project description:Due to the costly energy demands of nitrogen (N) fixation, diazotrophic bacteria have evolved complex regulatory networks that permit expression of the catalyst nitrogenase only under conditions of N starvation, whereas the same condition stimulates upregulation of high-affinity ammonia (NH3) assimilation by glutamine synthetase (GS), preventing excess release of excess NH3 for plants. Diazotrophic bacteria can be engineered to excrete NH3 by interference with GS, however control is required to minimise growth penalties and prevent unintended provision of NH3 to non-target plants. Here, we tested two strategies to control GS regulation and NH3 excretion in our model cereal symbiont Azorhizobium caulinodans AcLP, a derivative of ORS571. We first attempted to recapitulate previous work where mutation of both PII homologues glnB and glnK stimulated GS shutdown but found that one of these genes was essential for growth. Secondly, we expressed unidirectional adenylyl transferases (uATs) in a ΔglnE mutant of AcLP which permitted strong GS shutdown and excretion of NH3 derived from N2 fixation and completely alleviated negative feedback regulation on nitrogenase expression. We placed a uAT allele under control of the NifA-dependent promoter PnifH, permitting GS shutdown and NH3 excretion specifically under microaerobic conditions, the same cue that initiates N2 fixation, then deleted nifA and transferred a rhizopine nifAL94Q/D95Q-rpoN controller plasmid into this strain, permitting coupled rhizopine-dependent activation of N2 fixation and NH3 excretion. This highly sophisticated and multi-layered control circuitry brings us a step closer to the development of a "synthetic symbioses" where N2 fixation and NH3 excretion could be specifically activated in diazotrophic bacteria colonising transgenic rhizopine producing cereals, targeting delivery of fixed N to the crop while preventing interaction with non-target plants.
Project description:Azorhizobium caulinodans is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that forms root nodules on its host legume, Sesbania rostrata. This agriculturally significant symbiotic relationship is important in lowland rice cultivation and allows nitrogen fixation under flood conditions. Chemotaxis plays an important role in bacterial colonization of the rhizosphere. Plant roots release chemical compounds that are sensed by bacteria, triggering chemotaxis along a concentration gradient toward the roots. This gives motile bacteria a significant competitive advantage during root surface colonization. Although plant-associated bacterial genomes often encode multiple chemotaxis systems, A. caulinodans appears to encode only one. The che cluster on the A. caulinodans genome contains cheA, cheW, cheY2, cheB, and cheR. Two other chemotaxis genes, cheY1 and cheZ, are located independently from the che operon. Both CheY1 and CheY2 are involved in chemotaxis, with CheY1 being the predominant signaling protein. A. caulinodans CheA contains an unusual set of C-terminal domains: a CheW-like/receiver pair (termed W2-Rec) follows the more common single CheW-like domain. W2-Rec impacts both chemotaxis and CheA function. We found a preference for transfer of phosphoryl groups from CheA to CheY2, rather than to W2-Rec or CheY1, which appears to be involved in flagellar motor binding. Furthermore, we observed increased phosphoryl group stabilities on CheY1 compared to CheY2 and W2-Rec. Finally, CheZ enhanced dephosphorylation of CheY2 substantially more than CheY1 but had no effect on the dephosphorylation rate of W2-Rec. This network of phosphotransfer reactions highlights a previously uncharacterized scheme for regulation of chemotactic responses. IMPORTANCE Chemotaxis allows bacteria to move toward nutrients and away from toxins in their environment. Chemotactic movement provides a competitive advantage over nonspecific motion. CheY is an essential mediator of the chemotactic response, with phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of CheY differentially interacting with the flagellar motor to change swimming behavior. Previously established schemes of CheY dephosphorylation include action of a phosphatase and/or transfer of the phosphoryl group to another receiver domain that acts as a sink. Here, we propose that A. caulinodans uses a concerted mechanism in which the Hpt domain of CheA, CheY2, and CheZ function together as a dual sink system to rapidly reset chemotactic signaling. To the best of our knowledge, this mechanism is unlike any that have previously been evaluated. Chemotaxis systems that utilize both receiver and Hpt domains as phosphate sinks likely occur in other bacterial species.