Genetic Analysis of a Pleiotropic Mutant of Klebsiella pneumoniae Affected in Nitrogen Metabolism

Abstract
Genetic and reversion analyses of a thermosensitive pleiotropic mutant strain of K. pneumoniae with defects in N2 fixation and N2 metabolism showed that the pleiotropic behavior of the mutant is due to a single mutation in a gene designated nim. This gene is contransducible with trp at a frequency of about 30% (using bacteriophage Pl) and with cys at a frequency of about 14%. The gene order is cys, trp, nim. The defect in the nim mutant is complemented by the Eschrichia coli F'' element, F''148.