Mutations in rpoBC suppress the defects of a Sinorhizobium meliloti relA mutant.

ABSTRACT: The nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between Sinorhizobium meliloti and Medicago sativa requires complex physiological adaptation by both partners. One method by which bacteria coordinately control physiological adaptation is the stringent response, which is triggered by the presence of the nucleotide guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp). ppGpp, produced by the RelA enzyme, is thought to bind to and alter the ability of RNA polymerase (RNAP) to initiate and elongate transcription and affect the affinity of the core enzyme for various sigma factors. An S. meliloti relA mutant which cannot produce ppGpp was previously shown to be defective in the ability to form nodules. This mutant also overproduces a symbiotically necessary exopolysaccharide called succinoglycan. The work presented here encompasses t

SUBMITTER: Wells DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC193748 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature