The Unusual Symbiosis Between the Nitrogen Fixing Bacterium ORS571 and Its Host Sesbania Rostrata: Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation and Assimilation Genes in the Free Living Versus Symbiotic State

  • F. de Bruijn
  • K. Pawlowski
  • P. Ratet
  • U. Hilgert
  • J. Schell
Chapter
Part of the Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture book series (PSBA, volume 3)

Abstract

The bacterial strain ORS571 assumes a unique position amongst nitrogen fixing species. In addition to its ability to fix nitrogen in aerial stem— as well as root nodules while in symbiosis with its host, the tropical legume Sesbania rostrata, it is also capable of fixing nitrogen in the free living state and growth on this fixed nitrogen as primary N-source (1,2). This suggests that in the symbiotic state an uncoupling of bacterial nitrogen fixation and assimilation (for growth) exists, as has been observed with symbiotically nitrogen fixing (brady) rhizobial species, while in the free living nitrogen fixing state these processes may be coupled and coordinately regulated, as has been observed with the diazotroph Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp). This makes ORS571 a very interesting strain to study the regulation of nitrogen fixation (nif) and other nitrogen assimilation genes in the free living versus symbiotic state.

Keywords

Nitrogen Fixation Free Living nifA Gene Free Living State Symbiotic State 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht 1987

Authors and Affiliations

  • F. de Bruijn
    • 1
  • K. Pawlowski
    • 1
  • P. Ratet
    • 1
  • U. Hilgert
    • 1
  • J. Schell
    • 1
  1. 1.Max Planck Institut für ZüchtungsforschungKöln 30W. Germany

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