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PMID: 7721695 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Functional analysis of the phosphoprotein PII (glnB gene product) in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942.

Journal of bacteriology ·Vol. 177 ·No. 8 ·1995-04-00 ·Pages 2033-40

Forchhammer K, Tandeau de Marsac N

Abstract

The PII protein (glnB gene product) in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 signals the cellular N status by being phosphorylated or dephosphorylated at a seryl residue. Here we show that the PII-modifying system responds to the activity of ammonium assimilation via the glutamine synthase-glutamate synthase pathway and to the state of CO2 fixation. To identify possible functions of PII in this microorganism, a PII-deficient mutant was created and its general phenotype was characterized. The analysis shows that the PII protein interferes with the regulation of enzymes required for nitrogen assimilation, although ammonium repression is still detectable in the PII-deficient mutant. We suggest that the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of PII are part of a complex signal transduction network involved in global nitrogen control in cyanobacteria. In this regulatory process, PII might be involved in mediating the tight coordination between carbon and nitrogen assimilation.

Related Genes
glnB
MeSH Terms
Bacterial Proteins/genetics,metabolism Biological Transport, Active Carbon/metabolism Carbon Dioxide/metabolism Chromosome Mapping Cyanobacteria/genetics,metabolism Genes, Bacterial Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase/metabolism Methylamines/metabolism Mutation Nitrate Reductase Nitrate Reductases/metabolism Nitrite Reductases/metabolism Nitrogen/metabolism PII Nitrogen Regulatory Proteins Phenotype Phosphorylation Signal Transduction/genetics,physiology
Chemicals
Bacterial Proteins Methylamines PII Nitrogen Regulatory Proteins Carbon Dioxide PIID regulatory protein, Bacteria Carbon methylamine Nitrate Reductases Nitrite Reductases Nitrate Reductase Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase Nitrogen
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Forchhammer K
Département de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Tandeau de Marsac N
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Article Info
Journal
Journal of bacteriology
Abbr.
J Bacteriol
ISSN
0021-9193
DOI
10.1128/jb.177.8.2033-2040.1995
Published
1995-04-00
Pages
2033-40
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
2985120R
PMCID
PMC176846
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jb.177.8.2033-2040.1995 PMC Full Text View journal details
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