Expression of nifH genes by diazotrophic bacteria in the rhizosphere of short form Spartina alterniflora

A diverse assemblage of diazotrophic bacteria exists in the rhizosphere of the smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, but the taxa actively involved in nitrogen fixation have not been determined. In order to identify the diazotrophs that were actively expressing nifH, the gene encoding the nitroge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology ecology 2003-04, Vol.43 (3), p.411-417
Main Authors: Brown, M.M, Friez, M.J, Lovell, C.R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Anaerobes
Aquatic plants
Bacteria
Bacteriology
Biochemistry and biology
Biological and medical sciences
Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Desulfovibrio africanus
Desulfovibrio gigas
Diazotroph
DNA
Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene expression
Gene sequencing
genes
Genetics
messenger RNA
Microbiology
nifH
NifH gene
Nitrogen fixation
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Nitrogenase
Nitrogenation
Nucleotide sequence
Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils
Polymerase chain reaction
Pseudomonas stutzeri
Reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction
Rhizosphere
rhizosphere bacteria
RNA-directed DNA polymerase
Salt marsh
Soil science
Spartina
Spartina alterniflora
Vibrio diazotrophicus
Waterborne diseases
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Summary:A diverse assemblage of diazotrophic bacteria exists in the rhizosphere of the smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, but the taxa actively involved in nitrogen fixation have not been determined. In order to identify the diazotrophs that were actively expressing nifH, the gene encoding the nitrogenase iron protein, mRNA was extracted from Spartina rhizosphere samples and nifH-specific seminested reverse transcriptase-PCR performed. Expressed nifH sequences were recovered from organisms affiliated with the (gamma-+beta-) Proteobacteria and the anaerobes. Most of the expressed nifH sequences were highly similar (> or = 95% similarity) to sequences previously recovered from Spartina rhizosphere DNA using conventional nifH-specific PCR. These sequences were also similar, although not identical to the nifH sequences of Pseudomonas stutzeri, Vibrio diazotrophicus, Desulfovibrio africanus, and Desulfovibrio gigas.
ISSN:0168-6496
1574-6941
DOI:10.1111/j.1574-6941.2003.tb01081.x