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Control of nitrogenase inAzospirillum sp.

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Abstract

Many N2-fixing organisms can turn off nitrogenase activity in the presence of NH4 + and turn it on again when the NH4 + is exhausted. One of the most interesting systems for accomplishing this is by covalent modification of one subunit of dinitrogenase reductase by dinitrogenase reductase ADP-ribosyltransferase (DRAT). The system can be reactivated when NH4 + is exhausted, by dinitrogenase reductase activating glycohydrolase (DRAG) which removes the inactivating group. It is fascinating that some species of the genusAzospirillum possess the DRAT and DRAG systems (A. lipoferum andA. brasilense), whereasA. amazonense in the same genus lacks DRAT and DRAG.A. amazonense responds to NH4 + but does not exhibit modification of dinitrogenase reductase characteristic of the action of DRAT. However, it has been possible to clone DRAT and DRAG and to introduce them intoA. amazonense, whereupon they become functional in this organism. The DRAT and DRAG system does not appear to function inAcetobacter diazotrophicus, an organism isolated from sugar cane, that fixes N2 at a pH as low as 3.0.A. diazotrophicus does show a rather sluggish response to NH4 +. A level of about 10 μM NH4 + is required to ‘switch off’ the system. The response to NH4 + is influenced by the dissolved oxygen concentration (DOC) as has been reported forAzospirillum sp. A DOC in equilibrium with 0.1 to 0.2 kPa O2 seems optimal for the response inA. diazotrophicus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, 53706, Madison, WI, USA

    Robert H. Burris, Anton Hartmann, Yaoping Zhang & Haian Fu

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  1. Robert H. Burris
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  2. Anton Hartmann
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  3. Yaoping Zhang
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  4. Haian Fu
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Burris, R.H., Hartmann, A., Zhang, Y. et al. Control of nitrogenase inAzospirillum sp.. Plant Soil 137, 127–134 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187443

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