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Published on: March 25, 2022
Nitrate respiration in Pseudomonas stutzeri A15 and its involvement in rice and wheat root colonization
Hans Rediers1, Jos Vanderleyden, René De Mot
1Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium. hans.rediers@denayer.wenk.be
Abstract:
Unlike most bacteria, the nitrogen-fixing rice-associated Pseudomonas stutzeri A15 disposes of three different nitrate reductases that enable conversion of nitrate to nitrite through three physiologically distinct processes, called nitrate assimilation, nitrate respiration and nitrate dissimilation. To study the role of nitrate respiration in rhizosphere fitness, a Pseudomonas stutzeri narG mutant was constructed and characterized by assessing its growth characteristics and whole-cell nitrate reductase activity in different oxygen tensions. Unexpectedly, the Pseudomonas stutzeri A15 narG mutant appeared to be a better root colonizer, outcompeting the wild type strain in a wheat and rice hydroponic system.
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