The role of heterologous nifAc product in the regulation of nif expression in Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

The plasmids pCK5, pCK3, pSZ36, and pSZ23-CA, which carried constitutive nifAc gene of Azotobacter chroococcum and Klebsiella pneumoniae were transferred into A. tumefaciens C58/pGV3850 with triparental mating. The growth rate of these transconjugants was similar to the wild type. Nitrogenase synthesis was demonstrated by Western blotting, in the presence of 10 mmol/L NH4+, and the nitrogenase activity was restored to 73%, 24%, 11%, and 62%, respectively. The results showed that the regulative gene of nitrogen fixation in A. chroococcum and K. pneumoniae played a regulative role for the expression of A. tumefaciens nitrogen fixation gene. Among them, the role of A. chroococcum nifAc gene was the strongest, the fusion plasmid pSZ23-CA which carried nifA-ntrC gene of K. pneumoniae was stronger, and the nifAc gene of K. pneumoniae was weak.