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The nifU, nifS and nifV gene products are required for activity of all three nitrogenases of Azotobacter vinelandii

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Summary

Strains with mutations in 23 of the 30 genes and open reading frames in the major nif gene cluster of A. vinelandii were tested for ability to grow on N-free medium with molybdenum (Nif phenotype), with vanadium (Vnf phenotype), or with neither metal present (Anf phenotype). As reported previously, nifE, nifty, nifU, nifS and nifV mutants were Nif− (failed to grow on molybdenum) while nifM mutants were Nif−, Vnf− and Anf−. nifV, nifS, and nifU mutants were found to be unable to grow on medium with or without vanadium, i.e. were Vnf− Anf−. Therefore neither vnf nor anf analogoues of nifU, nifS, nifV or nifM are expected to be present in A. vinelandii.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AFRC Institute of Plant Science Research, Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory, University of Sussex, BN1 9RQ, Brighton, UK

    Christina Kennedy

  2. Department of Anaerobic Microbiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 24060, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

    Dennis Dean

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  1. Christina Kennedy
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  2. Dennis Dean
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Communicated by H. Hennecke

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Kennedy, C., Dean, D. The nifU, nifS and nifV gene products are required for activity of all three nitrogenases of Azotobacter vinelandii . Molec. Gen. Genet. 231, 494–498 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292722

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292722

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