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Related Concept Videos

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation01:22

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation

Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, forming a crucial component of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular constituents. Many bacteria and archaea acquire nitrogen in the form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonia (NH₃), which are then assimilated into biomolecules through specific enzymatic pathways.Assimilatory Nitrate ReductionWhen nitrate enters the cell, it undergoes a two-step reduction process known as assimilatory nitrate reduction. Initially, the enzyme nitrate reductase...
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Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of  ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or  nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this nitrogen...
Nucleoid01:24

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
08:05

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O

Published on: October 7, 2020

Nitrogen regulation in bacteria and archaea.

John A Leigh1, Jeremy A Dodsworth

  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7242, USA. leighj@u.washington.edu

Annual Review of Microbiology
|May 18, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Bacteria and Archaea use 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) to sense nitrogen levels. PII proteins, like GlnB-K and NifI, are key sensors that regulate nitrogen assimilation and dinitrogenase activity.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Many Bacteria and Archaea utilize 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) to detect nitrogen limitation.
  • PII proteins, particularly GlnB-K and NifI families, are crucial 2OG sensors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of PII proteins in sensing cellular 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) and regulating nitrogen assimilation pathways.
  • To explore the structural and functional diversity of GlnB-K and NifI protein families.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of PII protein families.
  • Biochemical assays to study protein-ligand interactions (2OG, ATP).
  • Enzyme activity assays for nitrogen assimilation regulators and dinitrogenase.

Main Results:

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  • GlnB-K proteins (homotrimeric) respond to 2OG and ATP, and are modulated by glutamine-sensing enzymes.
  • NifI proteins (heteromultimeric) also respond to 2OG and ATP, regulating dinitrogenase.
  • PII proteins act as central integrators of nitrogen status, modulating various targets.

Conclusions:

  • PII proteins are essential regulators of nitrogen metabolism across diverse prokaryotes.
  • The GlnB-K and NifI families represent distinct yet functionally related mechanisms for nitrogen sensing and response.