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PII in higher plants: a modern role for an ancient protein
R Glen Uhrig1, Kenneth K S Ng, Greg B G Moorhead
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N1N4.
Abstract:
PII in prokaryotic organisms is a crucial integrator of cellular carbon, nitrogen and energy levels. In higher plants, however, its role remains significantly less clear. Previous findings suggest that PII-N-acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK) complex formation controls l-arginine biosynthesis, whereas other work implicates PII in regulating chloroplastic NO2(-) uptake. Together, these findings indicate that PII has evolved from a central metabolic role in prokaryotes towards a more specialized role in eukaryotes. Furthermore, recent genomic and bioinformatic findings reveal tissue-specific expression of PII in higher plants, with transcriptional expression patterns suggestive of a link between PII and storage protein production during seed development. This review focuses on the unique structural, biochemical and biological aspects of PII in higher plants.
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