Fine-structure mapping and complementation analysis of nif (nitrogen fixation) genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Four hundred and eighty-nine independent Nif- strains containing 260 point, 130 millimicron-induced, and 99 deletion mutations in nif in the Klebsiella pneumoniae chromosome were isolated. Three hundred and ninety insertion and point mutations were mapped with millimicron-induced deletions carried on 44 plasmids derived from pTM4010, a recombinant R factor containing the his-nif region of K. pneumoniae. The 99 chromosomal deletions in the nif region were mapped with 69 derivatives of pTM4010 carrying insertion and point mutations in nif. Complementation analysis between 84 derivatives of pTM4010 carrying nif mutations and Rec- derivatives of the 390 Nif- mutants identified 14 genes. The nif mutations were ordered into 49 deletion groups with a gene order of his...nifQBALFMVSNEKDHJ. Complementation analysis of millimicron-induced, amber, frameshift, and deletion mutations indicates there are five polycistronic and two monocistronic operons: nifQ nifB, nifA nifL, nifF, nifM nifV nifS, nifN nifE, nifK nifD nifH, and nifJ. Transcription is from right to left in all polycistronic operons.