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The rice field cyanobacteria Anabaena azotica and Anabaena sp. CH1 express vanadium-dependent nitrogenase

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Abstract

Anabaena azotica FACHB-118 and Anabaena sp. CH1, heterocystous cyanobacteria isolated from Chinese and Taiwanese rice fields, expressed vanadium-containing nitrogenase when under molybdenum deficiency. This is the second direct observation of an alternative nitrogenase in cyanobacteria. The vanadium nitrogenase-specific genes vnfDG are fused and clustered in a phylogenetic tree next to the corresponding genes of Methanosarcina. The expression of vnfH in cells cultured in Mo-free medium and of nifH in Mo-grown cells was shown for the first time by sequencing cDNA derived from cultures of A. azotica and Anabaena sp. CH1. The vnfH sequences clustered with that of Anabaena variabilis. The vnf genes were strongly transcribed only in cultures grown either in Mo-free medium, or in W-containing medium, but also weakly in Mo-containing medium. NifH was transcribed in all media. On-line measurements of acetylene reduction by Mo-free A. azotica cultures demonstrated that the V-nitrogenase was active. Ethane was formed continuously at a rate of 2.1% of that of ethylene. Acetylene reduction of cultures grown either with or without Mo had a high temperature optimum of 42.5°C. The uptake hydrogenase gene hupL was expressed in Mo-free medium concomitantly with vnfDG in A. azotica, Anabaena sp. CH1, and A. variabilis.

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Abbreviations

ARA:

Acetylene reduction assay

RT:

Reverse transcription

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Prof. M.G. Yates, Brighton, United Kingdom, for helpful comments on the English and to Prof. H. Dai, Wuhan, Peoples Republic of China, for supplying the A. azotica culture. We warmly thank M. Doeleman for the excellent technical assistance, Dr M. Staal for generous help with the on-line GC system, and Dr X. Zhai for kind help with the Chinese translations. This is NIOO publication number 3897.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Microbiology, Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 140, 4400 AC, Yerseke, The Netherlands

    Gudrun Boison & Lucas J. Stal

  2. Institute of Botany, University of Cologne, Gyrhofstr. 15, 50931, Köln, Germany

    Caroline Steingen & Hermann Bothe

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  1. Gudrun Boison
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  2. Caroline Steingen
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  3. Lucas J. Stal
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  4. Hermann Bothe
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Correspondence to Gudrun Boison.

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Boison, G., Steingen, C., Stal, L.J. et al. The rice field cyanobacteria Anabaena azotica and Anabaena sp. CH1 express vanadium-dependent nitrogenase. Arch Microbiol 186, 367–376 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-006-0150-4

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