Molecular Mechanisms of Nitrogen Control in Corynebacteria
Eva Hänßler and Andreas Burkovski
from: Corynebacteria: Genomics and Molecular Biology (Edited by: Andreas Burkovski). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2008)
Abstract
Nitrogen is one of the macro-elements necessary for cell maintenance and growth. As part of amino acids, nucleotides, and amino sugars nitrogen is an essential component of almost all macromolecules in a bacterial cell, e.g. proteins, nucleic acids, and the murein sacculus determining its shape. Besides for the standard model bacteria for Gram-negatives, Escherichia coli, and Gram-positives, Bacillus subtilis, nitrogen metabolism and nitrogen regulation is best understood in the mycolic acids-containing actinomycete Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this review, uptake and assimilation of nitrogen sources in C. glutamicum are shortly summarized, before the current knowledge on regulatory mechanisms including transcriptional control and post-transcriptional regulation is described. Furthermore, the available data on nitrogen metabolism and regulation in closely related actinomycetes are summarized read more ...
