Rhizobium sp. strain ORS571 grows synergistically on N2 and nicotinate as N sources.

Rhizobium sp. strain ORS571 conducts synergistic, free-living N2 fixation and nicotinate oxidation. Explicitly, ORS571 is able to fix N2 aerobically because 6-OH-nicotinate acts as an intracellular O2 sink. Because 6-OH-nicotinate oxidation is mandatory for aerobic, free-living N2 fixation and because the synergistic processes yield ammonium from substrates (as the nitrogen source for growth), ORS571 is not a diazotroph.