Open AccessUse of a transposon with luciferase as a reporter to identify environmentally responsive genes in a cyanobacterium.
Author(s) -
C. Peter Wölk,
Yuping Cai,
Jean-Michel Panoff
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.88.12.5355
Subject(s) - transposable element , heterocyst , biology , luciferase , anabaena , gene , genome , reporter gene , genetics , dna , cyanobacteria , gene expression , transfection , bacteria
Anabaena, a filamentous cyanobacterium, is of developmental interest because, when deprived of fixed nitrogen, it shows patterned differentiation of N2-fixing cells called heterocysts. To help elucidate its early responses to a decrease in nitrogen, we used a derivative of transposon Tn5 to generate transcriptional fusions of promoterless bacterial luciferase genes, luxAB, to the Anabaena genome. Genes that responded to removal of fixed nitrogen or to other environmental shifts by increased or decreased transcription were identified by monitoring the luminescence of colonies from transposon-generated libraries. The Tn5 derivative transposed in Anabaena at ca. 1-4 x 10(-5) per cell and permitted high-resolution mapping of its position and orientation in the genome and facile cloning of contiguous genomic DNA.