NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF THE NIFH GENE CODING FOR NITROGEN REDUCTASE INTHE ACETIC-ACID BACTERIUM ACETOBACTER-DIAZOTROPHICUS

The nifH gene sequence of the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Acetobacter di azotrophicus was determined with the use of the polymerase chain react ion and universal degenerate oligonucleotide primers. The gene shows h ighest pair-wise similarity to the nifH gene of Azospirillum brasilens e. The phylogenetic relationships of the nifH gene sequences were comp ared with those inferred from 16S rRNA gene sequences. Knowledge of th e sequence of the nifH gene contributes to the growing database of nif H gene sequences, and will allow the detection of Acet. diazotrophicus from environmental samples with nifH gene-based primers.