symbiotic legume nodules employ both rhizobial exo- and endo-hydrogenases to recycle hydrogen produced by nitrogen fixation共生豆类结节雇佣两个rhizobial外和endo-hydrogenases回收氢由固氮.pdfVIP

Symbiotic Legume Nodules Employ Both Rhizobial Exo- and Endo-Hydrogenases to Recycle Hydrogen Produced by Nitrogen Fixation Christopher O. Ciccolella, Nathan A. Raynard, John H-M. Mei, Derek C. Church, Robert A. Ludwig* Sinsheimer Laboratories, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America Abstract Background: In symbiotic legume nodules, endosymbiotic rhizobia (bacteroids) fix atmospheric N , an ATP-dependent 2 catalytic process yielding stoichiometric ammonium and hydrogen gas (H ). While in most legume nodules this H is 2 2 quantitatively evolved, which loss drains metabolic energy, certain bacteroid strains employ uptake hydrogenase activity and thus evolve little or no H . Rather, endogenous H is efficiently respired at the expense of O , driving oxidative 2 2 2 phosphorylation, recouping ATP used for H2 production, and increasing the efficiency of symbiotic nodule N2 fixation. In many ensuing investigations since its discovery as a physiological process, bacteroid uptake hydrogenase activity has been presumed a single entity. Methodology/Principal Findings: Azorhizobium caulinodans, the nodule endosymbiont of Sesbania rostrata stems and roots, possesses both orthodox respiratory (exo-)hydrogenase and novel (endo-)hydrogenase activities. These two