Genetic Determinants of Ammonium Excretion in <i>nifL</i> Mutants of Azotobacter vinelandii
Florence Mus, Devanshi Khokhani, April M. MacIntyre, Esther Rugoli, Ray Dixon, Jean-Michel Ané, John W. Peters
Abstract
There is considerable interest in the engineering of ammonium-excreting bacteria for use in agriculture to promote the growth of plants under fixed-nitrogen-limiting conditions. This work defines discrete determinants that bring about A. vinelandii ammonium excretion and demonstrates that strains can be generated through simple gene editing to provide promising biofertilizers capable of transferring nitrogen to crops.
Topics & Concepts
Azotobacter vinelandiiMutantAmmoniumNitrogen fixationNitrogenaseBiochemistryDiazotrophBiologyAzotobacteraceaeNitrogen cycleGeneMicrobiologyChemistryPhenotyperpoSBacteriaExcretionStructural geneEscherichia coliRegulation of gene expressionGeneticsWild typePromoterGene expressionAzotobacterMineralization (soil science)NitrogenMutationStrain (injury)Horizontal gene transferMetabolismBacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyPlant nutrient uptake and metabolismLegume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis