Biomaterial Database

Structural relationships among Rhizobium meliloti symbiotic promoters. 1983

M Better, and B Lewis, and D Corbin, and G Ditta, and D R Helinski

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by Rhizobium meliloti requires the developmentally specific expression of certain bacterial genes. One set of these genes encodes the subunits of nitrogenase, the enzyme responsible for the reduction of atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia, and another set consists of closely linked genes also essential for nitrogen fixation. Examination of promoter and probable regulatory regions for these gene sets has revealed extensive DNA sequence conservation for more than 160 bp upstream of the respective transcription start points. Three such promoter regions have been identified in the nitrogen fixation (nif) gene cluster of R. meliloti strain 102F34. Using one of these promoter regions as a hybridization probe, three additional sequences were found in the genome of this strain. The DNA of other R. meliloti strains and Rhizobium species were also examined for homology to the symbiotically regulated promoters of R. meliloti 102F34. DNA sequences homologous to these R. meliloti promoters were found among diverse rhizobia, and in at least some cases were associated with nif genes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009693	Nucleic Acid Hybridization	Widely used technique which exploits the ability of complementary sequences in single-stranded DNAs or RNAs to pair with each other to form a double helix. Hybridization can take place between two complimentary DNA sequences, between a single-stranded DNA and a complementary RNA, or between two RNA sequences. The technique is used to detect and isolate specific sequences, measure homology, or define other characteristics of one or both strands. (Kendrew, Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, 1994, p503)	Genomic Hybridization,Acid Hybridization, Nucleic,Acid Hybridizations, Nucleic,Genomic Hybridizations,Hybridization, Genomic,Hybridization, Nucleic Acid,Hybridizations, Genomic,Hybridizations, Nucleic Acid,Nucleic Acid Hybridizations
D009876	Operon	In bacteria, a group of metabolically related genes, with a common promoter, whose transcription into a single polycistronic MESSENGER RNA is under the control of an OPERATOR REGION.	Operons
D004262	DNA Restriction Enzymes	Enzymes that are part of the restriction-modification systems. They catalyze the endonucleolytic cleavage of DNA sequences which lack the species-specific methylation pattern in the host cell's DNA. Cleavage yields random or specific double-stranded fragments with terminal 5'-phosphates. The function of restriction enzymes is to destroy any foreign DNA that invades the host cell. Most have been studied in bacterial systems, but a few have been found in eukaryotic organisms. They are also used as tools for the systematic dissection and mapping of chromosomes, in the determination of base sequences of DNAs, and have made it possible to splice and recombine genes from one organism into the genome of another. EC 3.21.1.	Restriction Endonucleases,DNA Restriction Enzyme,Restriction Endonuclease,Endonuclease, Restriction,Endonucleases, Restriction,Enzymes, DNA Restriction,Restriction Enzyme, DNA,Restriction Enzymes, DNA
D004269	DNA, Bacterial	Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of bacteria.	Bacterial DNA
D005798	Genes, Bacterial	The functional hereditary units of BACTERIA.	Bacterial Gene,Bacterial Genes,Gene, Bacterial
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D012231	Rhizobium	A genus of gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that activate PLANT ROOT NODULATION in leguminous plants. Members of this genus are nitrogen-fixing and common soil inhabitants.
D012333	RNA, Messenger	RNA sequences that serve as templates for protein synthesis. Bacterial mRNAs are generally primary transcripts in that they do not require post-transcriptional processing. Eukaryotic mRNA is synthesized in the nucleus and must be exported to the cytoplasm for translation. Most eukaryotic mRNAs have a sequence of polyadenylic acid at the 3' end, referred to as the poly(A) tail. The function of this tail is not known for certain, but it may play a role in the export of mature mRNA from the nucleus as well as in helping stabilize some mRNA molecules by retarding their degradation in the cytoplasm.	Messenger RNA,Messenger RNA, Polyadenylated,Poly(A) Tail,Poly(A)+ RNA,Poly(A)+ mRNA,RNA, Messenger, Polyadenylated,RNA, Polyadenylated,mRNA,mRNA, Non-Polyadenylated,mRNA, Polyadenylated,Non-Polyadenylated mRNA,Poly(A) RNA,Polyadenylated mRNA,Non Polyadenylated mRNA,Polyadenylated Messenger RNA,Polyadenylated RNA,RNA, Polyadenylated Messenger,mRNA, Non Polyadenylated
D013559	Symbiosis	The relationship between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other or a relationship between different species where both of the organisms in question benefit from the presence of the other.	Endosymbiosis,Commensalism,Mutualism
D014158	Transcription, Genetic	The biosynthesis of RNA carried out on a template of DNA. The biosynthesis of DNA from an RNA template is called REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION.	Genetic Transcription