Isolation and characterization of a nitrite reductase gene and its use as a probe for denitrifying bacteria. [Pseudomonas stutzeri]

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1991 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:5619013

Smith, G B; Tiedje, J M ^[1]

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1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing (United States)

The dissimilatory nitrite reductase gene (nir) from denitrifying bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri JM300 was isolated and sequenced. In agreement with recent sequence information from another strain P. Stutzeri (strain ZoBell), strain JM300 nir is the first gene in an operon and is followed immediately by a gene which codes for a tetraheme protein; 2.5 kb downstream from the nitrite reductase carboxyl terminus is the cytochrome c{sub 551} gene. P. stutzeri JM300 nir is 67% homologous to P. aeruginosa nir and 88% homologous to P. stutzeri ZoBell nir. Within the nitrite reductase promoter region is an fnr-like operator very similar to an operator upstream to a separate anaerobic pathway, that for arginine catabolism in P. aeruginosa. The denitrification genes in P. stutzeri thus may be under the same regulatory control as that found for other anaerobic pathways of pseudomonads. The authors have generated gene probes from restriction fragments within the nitrite reductase operon to evaluate their usefulness in ecology studies of denitrification. Probes generated from the carboxyl terminus region hybridized to denitrifying bacteria from five separate genera and did not cross-hybridize to any nondenitrifying bacteria among six genera tested. The denitrifier probes were successful in detecting denitrifying bacteria from samples such as a bioreactor consortium, aquifer microcosms, and denitrifying toluene-degrading enrichments. The probes also were used to reveal restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns indicating the diversity of denitrifiers present in these mixed communities.

• OSTI ID: 5619013
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Journal Name: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States) Vol. 58:1; ISSN 0099-2240; ISSN AEMID
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200* -- Biochemistry
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DENITRIFICATION
ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIALS
ENZYMES
GENE OPERONS
GENES
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
PROTEINS
PSEUDOMONAS
RFLPS
SPECIES DIVERSITY