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Microbial Physiology and Metabolism: Paper Code 203 Unit-V

This document discusses the nif genes, which encode enzymes for nitrogen fixation. The nif genes are found in nitrogen-fixing bacteria, occurring as an operon in some free-living bacteria and on plasmids in symbiotic bacteria associated with plants. The nif genes encode the nitrogenase enzyme complex that converts atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. Their expression is regulated by nitrogen availability and oxygen levels through proteins like NifA, NifL, and the ntr system. In the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, the nif genes form an operon that is regulated by the ntr and nif systems in response to nitrogen conditions.

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37 views10 pages

Microbial Physiology and Metabolism: Paper Code 203 Unit-V

This document discusses the nif genes, which encode enzymes for nitrogen fixation. The nif genes are found in nitrogen-fixing bacteria, occurring as an operon in some free-living bacteria and on plasmids in symbiotic bacteria associated with plants. The nif genes encode the nitrogenase enzyme complex that converts atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. Their expression is regulated by nitrogen availability and oxygen levels through proteins like NifA, NifL, and the ntr system. In the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, the nif genes form an operon that is regulated by the ntr and nif systems in response to nitrogen conditions.

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Microbial physiology and Metabolism

Paper code 203


UNIT-V
Topic-Nif genes and their regulation

BY- Dr. Pragya Jadon


SOS IN MICROBIOLOGY
JIWAJI UNIVERSITY
Nif genes
• The complex of genes encoding enzymes involved in the fixation of
atmospheric nitrogen.

• They are found in nitrogen-fixing bacteria. They occur as an operon in free-living


anaerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Rhodospirillum
rubrum, and Rhodobacter capsulatus.
• These genes may also be found on plasmids (together with the other genes,
e.g. nod genes) in symbiotic bacteria, such as in Rhizobium inhabiting the roots of
leguminous plants.
• The nif genes are genes encoding enzymes involved in the fixation of
atmospheric nitrogen into a form of nitrogen available to living organisms.
• The primary enzyme encoded by the nif genes is the nitrogenase complex which
is in charge of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to other nitrogen forms such
as ammonia which the organism can use for various purposes.
• Nitrogen fixation is important because many living organisms are unable to
metabolize directly the atmospheric nitrogen and would require the nitrogen
fixation capability of certain bacteria in order to produce a form of nitrogen (e.g.
ammonia) that can be readily utilized.

• The nif genes are genes encoding enzymes involved in the fixation of
atmospheric nitrogen into a form of nitrogen available to living organisms.

• The primary enzyme encoded by the nif genes is the nitrogenase complex which
is in charge of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to other nitrogen forms
such as ammonia which the organism can use for various purposes.
• nif genes also encode a number of regulatory proteins involved in nitrogen
fixation.

•The nif genes are found in both free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and in
symbiotic bacteria associated with various plants.
REGULATION
• In most bacteria, regulation of nif genes transcription is done by the nitrogen
sensitive NifA protein.

• When there isn't enough fixed nitrogen available for the organism's use, NtrC
triggers NifA expression, and NifA activates the rest of the nif genes.

• If there is a sufficient amount of reduced nitrogen or oxygen is present, another


protein is activated.

• NifL inhibits NifA activity resulting in the inhibition of nitrogenase formation.


EXAMPLE
Klebsiella pneumonia
• The N2 fixation (nif) genes are organized into a regulon of 17 genes consisting of
seven or eight operons each of which is transcribed into a single, usually
polycistronic mRNA.

• Regulation of nif gene expression has Two elements: • an external system


designated ntr(nitrogen regulatory) • an internal system mediated by nif A and nif
L.
• The ntr system responds to conditions of nitrogen starvation by activating genes
that enable the organism to utilize 'unusual' nitrogen sources such as arginine,
proline, and histidine as well as N2 itself.
• The ntr A gene product (NtrA) is a-factor of RNA polymerase which recognize the
nif and, other ntr - regulated genes.

• These promoters have a structure different from that of typical bacterial promoters.

• NtrA allows RNA polymerase to bind at the nif promoters and to initiate
transcription.

• The ntrB gene product (NtrB) is an enzyme that functions both as a protein kinase
and as a phosphatase, the substrate of which is NtrC (the ntrC gene product).
• Whether kinase or phosphatase activity predominates depends upon the nitrogen
status of bacterium, and the consequence of this is that, under condition of
starvation, NtrC-P acts as an activator of, nifL and nif A.

• The nif A product is an activator of transcription of other nif genes, whilst the nif L
product, in the presence of either intermediate concentrations of fixed nitrogen or
inactivate the nif A product, thereby preventing transcription of other nif genes.
Nitrogen fixation (nif ) gene cluster of Klebsiella pneumoniae

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