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Cloning, Sequencing, and Characterization of the Azospirillum brasilense fhuE Gene

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Abstract

The fhuE gene of Escherichia coli encodes the FhuE protein, which is a receptor protein in the coprogen-mediated siderophore iron-transport system. A fhuE gene homologue from Azospirillum brasilense, a nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium that lives in association with the roots of cereal grasses, was cloned, sequenced, and characterized. The A. brasilense fhuE encodes a protein of 802 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of approximately 87 kDa. The deduced amino-acid sequence showed a high level of homology to the sequences of all the known fhuE gene products. The fhuE mutant was sensitive to iron starvation and defective in coprogen-mediated iron uptake. The mutant failed to express one membrane protein of approximately 78 kDa that was induced by iron starvation in the wild type. Complementation studies showed that the A. brasilense fhuE gene, when present on a low-copy number plasmid, could restore the functions of the mutant. Mutation in fhuE gene did not affect nitrogen fixation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by International Foundation Science (Grant No. C/32081-1) and National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30170020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, P.R.C.

    Yanhua Cui, Ran Tu, Luyan Ma & Sanfeng Chen

  2. College of Biology Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, P.R.C.

    Yue Guan & Sanfeng Chen

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  1. Yanhua Cui
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  2. Ran Tu
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Correspondence to Sanfeng Chen.

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Cui, Y., Tu, R., Guan, Y. et al. Cloning, Sequencing, and Characterization of the Azospirillum brasilense fhuE Gene. Curr Microbiol 52, 169–177 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-005-0008-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-005-0008-z

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