Role of RNA secondary structure and processing in stability of the nifH1 transcript in the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

In the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413, aerobic nitrogen fixation occurs in micro-oxic cells called heterocysts. Synthesis of nitrogenase in heterocysts requires expression of the large nif1 gene cluster, which is primarily under the control of the promoter for the first gene, nifB1. Strong expression of nifH1 requires the nifB1 promoter but is also controlled by RNA processing, which leads to increased nifH1 transcript stability. The processing of the primary nifH1 transcript occurs at the base of a predicted stem-loop structure that is conserved in many heterocystous cyanobacteria. Mutations that changed the predicted secondary structure or changed the sequence of the stem-loop had detrimental effects on the amount of nifH1 transcript, with mutations that

SUBMITTER: Pratte BS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4372750 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature