Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.3390/life8040052
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) The distinctive regulation of cyanobacterial glutamine synthetase
Author Bolay, P.; Muro-Pastor, M.I.; Florencio, F.J.; Klähn, S.
Source Titel Life
Year 2018
Department SOMA
Volume 8
Issue 4
Page From art. 52
Language englisch
Keywords nitrogen assimilation; cyanobacteria; glutamine synthetase inactivating factors; glutamine riboswitches; non-coding RNAs
Abstract Glutamine synthetase (GS) features prominently in bacterial nitrogen assimilation as it catalyzes the entry of bioavailable nitrogen in form of ammonium into cellular metabolism. The classic example, the comprehensively characterized GS of enterobacteria, is subject to exquisite regulation at multiple levels, among them gene expression regulation to control GS abundance, as well as feedback inhibition and covalent modifications to control enzyme activity. Intriguingly, the GS of the ecologically important clade of cyanobacteria features fundamentally different regulatory systems to those of most prokaryotes. These include the interaction with small proteins, the so-called inactivating factors (IFs) that inhibit GS linearly with their abundance. In addition to this protein interaction-based regulation of GS activity, cyanobacteria use alternative elements to control the synthesis of GS and IFs at the transcriptional level. Moreover, cyanobacteria evolved unique RNA-based regulatory mechanisms such as glutamine riboswitches to tightly tune IF abundance. In this review, we aim to outline the current knowledge on the distinctive features of the cyanobacterial GS encompassing the overall control of its activity, sensing the nitrogen status, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, as well as strain-specific differences.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21057
Bolay, P., Muro-Pastor, M.I., Florencio, F.J., Klähn, S. (2018):
The distinctive regulation of cyanobacterial glutamine synthetase
Life 8 (4), art. 52 10.3390/life8040052