Enhancing effect of 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetic acid on transcription of the ice nucleation-active gene of Xanthomonas campestris.

Cultivation of an ice nucleation-active strain of Xanthomonas campestris in the presence (1 ppm) of 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetic acid resulted in enhancement of its ice-nucleation activity. Both the ice-nucleation-active protein, InaX, and its mRNA were effectively expressed in the bacterial cells cultured in the presence of this compound. This indicates that this compound stimulated the biosynthesis of the ice-nucleation-active protein.