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Journal of Bacteriology, October 2008, p. 6697-6705, Vol. 190, No. 20
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00543-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Whole-Genome Transcriptional Profiling of Bradyrhizobium japonicum during Chemoautotrophic Growth {triangledown} ,{dagger}

William L. Franck,1 Woo-Suk Chang,1 Jing Qiu,2 Masayuki Sugawara,3 Michael J. Sadowsky,3 Stephanie A. Smith,4,{ddagger} and Gary Stacey1,5,6*

National Center for Soybean Biotechnology, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211,1 Department of Statistics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211,2 Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108,3 Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio,4 Division of Biochemistry,5 Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 652116

Received 21 April 2008/ Accepted 19 July 2008

Bradyrhizobium japonicum is a facultative chemoautotroph capable of utilizing hydrogen gas as an electron donor in a respiratory chain terminated by oxygen to provide energy for cellular processes and carbon dioxide assimilation via a reductive pentose phosphate pathway. A transcriptomic analysis of B. japonicum cultured chemoautotrophically identified 1,485 transcripts, representing 17.5% of the genome, as differentially expressed when compared to heterotrophic cultures. Genetic determinants required for hydrogen utilization and carbon fixation, including the uptake hydrogenase system and components of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, were strongly induced in chemoautotrophically cultured cells. A putative isocitrate lyase (aceA; blr2455) was among the most strongly upregulated genes, suggesting a role for the glyoxylate cycle during chemoautotrophic growth. Addition of arabinose to chemoautotrophic cultures of B. japonicum did not significantly alter transcript profiles. Furthermore, a subset of nitrogen fixation genes was moderately induced during chemoautotrophic growth. In order to specifically address the role of isocitrate lyase and nitrogenase in chemoautotrophic growth, we cultured aceA, nifD, and nifH mutants under chemoautotrophic conditions. Growth of each mutant was similar to that of the wild type, indicating that the glyoxylate bypass and nitrogenase activity are not essential components of chemoautotrophy in B. japonicum.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 271E Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. Phone: (573) 884-4752. Fax: (573) 884-9676. E-mail: staceyg{at}missouri.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 8 August 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

{ddagger} Present address: Applied Biology and Aerosol Technology, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201.


Journal of Bacteriology, October 2008, p. 6697-6705, Vol. 190, No. 20
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00543-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.