Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
Bacterial nitrogen-related phosphotransferase systems: new insights into diverse roles in virulence, physiology, and
Samalee Banerjee1, Matthew T Cabeen2, Josephine R Chandler1
1Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
Abstract:
Nitrogen-related phosphotransferase (PTSNtr) systems are highly conserved and widely distributed in proteobacteria. These systems are thought to enable bacteria to sense and respond to changes in cellular carbon and nitrogen availability. The PTSNtr is analogous to the carbohydrate phosphotransferase systems that carry out phosphorylation and uptake of specific carbohydrates. Instead of targeting carbohydrates, the PTSNtr influences metabolic flux, virulence, biofilm development, stress adaptation, and other phenotypes in ways that vary among different species. Mechanistic insights into the regulatory roles of the PTSNtr have emerged from studies in diverse bacteria, including Escherichia coli, agriculturally relevant nitrogen-fixing symbionts, and biotechnology-relevant and opportunistic pathogens of the Pseudomonas genus. In this review, we summarize both seminal and more recent discoveries underpinning the current understanding of PTSNtr and identify unifying themes that connect these systems across disparate species.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Gram-negative Bacterial Protein Secretion Systems
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Bacterial Phylum Proteobacteria
Global Regulatory Systems

