Functional expression of Escherichia coli fhuA gene in Rhizobium spp. of Cajanus cajan provides growth advantage in presence of Fe³⁺: ferrichrome as iron source

Cajanus cajan rhizobial isolates were found to be unable to utilize iron bound to ferrichrome, desferrioxamine B or rhodotorulic acid, all being hydroxamate type siderophores. A broad host range expression vector containing the Escherichia coli fhuA gene, encoding the outer membrane receptor for Fe-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of microbiology 2007-04, Vol.187 (4), p.257-264
Main Authors: Rajendran, Geetha, Mistry, Shreni, Desai, Anjana J, Archana, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - metabolism
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Cajanus - microbiology
Cajanus cajan
E coli
E. coli fhuA gene
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli Proteins - metabolism
Ferrichrome - metabolism
Ferrichrome uptake
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Expression
Heterologous gene expression
Iron
Iron - metabolism
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Rhizobium - genetics
Rhizobium - metabolism
Rhizobium spp
Siderophore utilization
Siderophores - metabolism
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Summary:Cajanus cajan rhizobial isolates were found to be unable to utilize iron bound to ferrichrome, desferrioxamine B or rhodotorulic acid, all being hydroxamate type siderophores. A broad host range expression vector containing the Escherichia coli fhuA gene, encoding the outer membrane receptor for Fe-ferrichrome, was constructed. The plasmid construct (pGR1), designed to express fhuA under the lac promoter of E. coli, complemented E. coli MB97 ΔfhuA mutant for ferri-ferrichrome utilization and also allowed Rhizobium spp. ST1 and Rhizobium spp. IC3123 to grow using iron bound to ferrichrome. Sensitivity to the antibiotic albomycin, transported via the FhuA receptor, was found in case of MB97 as well as rhizobial transformants harboring pGR1. The rhizobial transformants expressing fhuA showed growth stimulation when co-inoculated with Ustilago maydis, a fungal species known to produce ferrichrome under iron starved conditions. Growth stimulation was also observed in the presence of externally supplied ferrichrome. The significance of these findings in terms of the potential for improving the survivability of rhizobial bioinoculant strains in natural soils is discussed.
ISSN:0302-8933
1432-072X
DOI:10.1007/s00203-006-0191-8