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Ammonia-excreting mutants ofKlebsiella pneumoniae with a pleiotropic defect in nitrogen metabolism

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Abstract

Enterobacterial mutants defective in the nitrogen control regulatory system (Ntr) generally display a pleiotropic phenotype with regard to expression and regulation of several enzymes and transport systems involved in the assimilation of N sources. This report describes the isolation and characterization of similar pleiotropic mutants ofKlebsiella pneumoniae that cannot be complemented byntr genes. The strains excreted ammonia, were unable to grow on a number of N sources, and contained low glutamine:2-oxoglutarate amino transferase and normal, but unmodifiable glutamine synthetase activities and a nitrogenase level largely unaffected by ammonium, but still repressible by an amino acid mixture. Genetic studies suggested that this phenotype is due to overexpression of an unknown regulatory protein.

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Abbreviations

GS :

Glutamine synthetase

GOGAT :

Glutamate synthase

ATase :

Adenylyl transferase

Ntr :

Nitrogen regulatory system

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Author notes

  1. Thorsten Kuczius

    Present address: Rudof-Virchow-Klinikum der Humboldt-Universität, Augusten-burger Platz 1, D-13353, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lehrstuhl Mikrobiologe, Universität Bayreuth, D-95470, Bayreuth, Germany

    Thorsten Kuczius & Diethelm Kleiner

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  1. Thorsten Kuczius
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  2. Diethelm Kleiner
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Correspondence to Diethelm Kleiner.

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Kuczius, T., Kleiner, D. Ammonia-excreting mutants ofKlebsiella pneumoniae with a pleiotropic defect in nitrogen metabolism. Arch. Microbiol. 166, 388–393 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01682984

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01682984

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