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Related Concept Videos

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation01:22

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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...
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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.
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Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
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Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Transforming, Genome Editing and Phenotyping the Nitrogen-fixing Tropical Cannabaceae Tree Parasponia andersonii
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Tracing the evolutionary path to nitrogen-fixing crops.

Pierre-Marc Delaux1, Guru Radhakrishnan1, Giles Oldroyd1

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.

Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|July 1, 2015
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Engineering nitrogen-fixing symbioses into cereals could reduce fertilizer reliance and improve crop yields. This review explores using comparative phylogenetics and phylogenomics to achieve this goal in cereal crops.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant biology
  • Genomics
  • Agricultural science

Background:

  • Nitrogen-fixing symbioses are limited to specific plant lineages, leaving cereals dependent on soil nitrogen and fertilizers.
  • Current agriculture heavily relies on chemical fertilizers for cereal production, leading to economic and ecological concerns.
  • Developing nitrogen-fixing symbioses in cereals could enhance crop yields and reduce environmental impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in using comparative phylogenetics and phylogenomics to understand plant-microbe symbioses.
  • To explore the potential of these approaches for engineering nitrogen-fixing symbioses into cereal crops.
  • To identify genetic and genomic innovations that could facilitate the development of nitrogen-fixing cereals.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative phylogenetics to trace the evolutionary history of symbiotic traits.
  • Phylogenomics to identify genetic and genomic elements associated with nitrogen fixation.
  • Literature review of recent discoveries in plant-microbe interactions and genetic engineering.

Main Results:

  • Identified key genetic and genomic factors underlying nitrogen-fixing symbioses in certain plant lineages.
  • Highlighted the potential of phylogenomic approaches to guide the engineering of new symbiotic capabilities.
  • Demonstrated the feasibility of using evolutionary insights to direct crop improvement strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Comparative phylogenetics and phylogenomics are crucial tools for understanding and engineering complex plant traits.
  • Engineering nitrogen-fixing symbioses in cereals is a promising strategy to address fertilizer dependency and improve food security.
  • Future research should focus on leveraging these genomic approaches to accelerate the development of nitrogen-fixing cereal crops.