Catabolism and Nitrogen Control in Escherichia coli

1985 ◽  
pp. 491-502
Author(s):  
Mary Anne Berberich
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Nitrogen Control

scholarly journals Role of Escherichia coli Nitrogen Regulatory Genes in the Nitrogen Response of the Azotobacter vinelandiiNifL-NifA Complex

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (10) ◽  
pp. 3076-3082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Reyes-Ramirez ◽  
Richard Little ◽  
Ray Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Nitrogen Control ◽  
Fixed Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Response ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Nitrogen Excess

ABSTRACT The redox-sensing flavoprotein NifL inhibits the activity of the nitrogen fixation (nif)-specific transcriptional activator NifA in Azotobacter vinelandii in response to molecular oxygen and fixed nitrogen. Although the mechanism whereby the A. vinelandii NifL-NifA system responds to fixed nitrogen in vivo is unknown, the glnK gene, which encodes a PII-like signal transduction protein, has been implicated in nitrogen control. However, the precise function of A. vinelandii glnK in this response is difficult to establish because of the essential nature of this gene. We have shown previously that A. vinelandii NifL is able to respond to fixed nitrogen to control NifA activity when expressed inEscherichia coli. In this study, we investigated the role of the E. coli PII-like signal transduction proteins in nitrogen control of the A. vinelandii NifL-NifA regulatory system in vivo. In contrast to recent findings with Klebsiella pneumoniae NifL, our results indicate that neither the E. coli PII nor GlnK protein is required to relieve inhibition byA. vinelandii NifL under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Moreover, disruption of both the E. coli glnB andntrC genes resulted in a complete loss of nitrogen regulation of NifA activity by NifL. We observe that glnB ntrC and glnB glnK ntrC mutant strains accumulate high levels of intracellular 2-oxoglutarate under conditions of nitrogen excess. These findings are in accord with our recent in vitro observations (R. Little, F. Reyes-Ramirez, Y. Zhang, W. Van Heeswijk, and R. Dixon, EMBO J. 19:6041–6050, 2000) and suggest a model in which nitrogen control of the A. vinelandii NifL-NifA system is achieved through the response to the level of 2-oxoglutarate and an interaction with PII-like proteins under conditions of nitrogen excess.

Complex formation between AmtB and GlnK: an ancestral role in prokaryotic nitrogen control

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Javelle ◽  
M. Merrick
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Transport Proteins ◽  
Ammonium Transport ◽  
Nitrogen Control ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Signal Transduction Protein ◽  
Pii Proteins ◽  
Invariant Coupling

Ammonium transport proteins belonging to the Amt family are ubiquitous in prokaryotes. In Escherichia coli, the AmtB protein and the associated PII signal transduction protein (GlnK) have recently been recognized as an ammonium sensory system that effectively couples the intracellular nitrogen regulation (Ntr) system to external changes in ammonium availability. Given the almost invariant coupling of AmtB and GlnK in bacteria and archaea it seems probable that these two proteins may constitute an ancestral nitrogen-responsive system that has been coupled with a variety of unrelated nitrogen regulatory processes, which are now found in prokaryotes. The multiplicity of PII proteins could therefore be considered to have evolved from an ancestral GlnK-like protein and to have subsequently been adapted to control many other aspects of nitrogen metabolism.

Structural organization of escherichia coli ribosomes as determined by immuno electron microscopy

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Stöffler ◽  
R.W. Bald ◽  
J. Dieckhoff ◽  
H. Eckhard ◽  
R. Lührmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Ribosomal Proteins ◽  
Structural Organization ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ribosomal Subunit ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Antibody Binding ◽  
Immuno Electron Microscopy

A central step towards an understanding of the structure and function of the Escherichia coli ribosome, a large multicomponent assembly, is the elucidation of the spatial arrangement of its 54 proteins and its three rRNA molecules. The structural organization of ribosomal components has been investigated by a number of experimental approaches. Specific antibodies directed against each of the 54 ribosomal proteins of Escherichia coli have been performed to examine antibody-subunit complexes by electron microscopy. The position of the bound antibody, specific for a particular protein, can be determined; it indicates the location of the corresponding protein on the ribosomal surface.The three-dimensional distribution of each of the 21 small subunit proteins on the ribosomal surface has been determined by immuno electron microscopy: the 21 proteins have been found exposed with altogether 43 antibody binding sites. Each one of 12 proteins showed antibody binding at remote positions on the subunit surface, indicating highly extended conformations of the proteins concerned within the 30S ribosomal subunit; the remaining proteins are, however, not necessarily globular in shape (Fig. 1).

Sites of Adsorption of the Bacteriophages T3 and T5 on the Wall of Escherichia Coli B.

1967 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 96-97
Author(s):  
Manfred E. Bayer
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Receptor Sites ◽  
Rigid Cell Wall ◽  
Host Cell Surface ◽  
Bacterial Viruses ◽  
Escherichia Coli B

Bacterial viruses adsorb specifically to receptors on the host cell surface. Although the chemical composition of some of the cell wall receptors for bacteriophages of the T-series has been described and the number of receptor sites has been estimated to be 150 to 300 per E. coli cell, the localization of the sites on the bacterial wall has been unknown.When logarithmically growing cells of E. coli are transferred into a medium containing 20% sucrose, the cells plasmolize: the protoplast shrinks and becomes separated from the somewhat rigid cell wall. When these cells are fixed in 8% Formaldehyde, post-fixed in OsO4/uranyl acetate, embedded in Vestopal W, then cut in an ultramicrotome and observed with the electron microscope, the separation of protoplast and wall becomes clearly visible, (Fig. 1, 2). At a number of locations however, the protoplasmic membrane adheres to the wall even under the considerable pull of the shrinking protoplast. Thus numerous connecting bridges are maintained between protoplast and cell wall. Estimations of the total number of such wall/membrane associations yield a number of about 300 per cell.

Infection of Escherichia coli with bacteriophages

1969 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 370-371
Author(s):  
Manfred E. Bayer
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Infection Process ◽  
Adsorption Site ◽  
The Other ◽  
Specific Receptors ◽  
Bacterial Receptors

The first step in the infection of a bacterium by a virus consists of a collision between cell and bacteriophage. The presence of virus-specific receptors on the cell surface will trigger a number of events leading eventually to release of the phage nucleic acid. The execution of the various "steps" in the infection process varies from one virus-type to the other, depending on the anatomy of the virus. Small viruses like ØX 174 and MS2 adsorb directly with their capsid to the bacterial receptors, while other phages possess attachment organelles of varying complexity. In bacteriophages T3 (Fig. 1) and T7 the small conical processes of their heads point toward the adsorption site; a welldefined baseplate is attached to the head of P22; heads without baseplates are not infective.

The Nature of the Intramembrane Particle

1980 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 688-691
Author(s):  
A.J. Verkleij
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Tight Junction ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fracture Face ◽  
Band 3 Protein ◽  
Satisfactory Explanation ◽  
Freeze Fracturing ◽  
Intramembrane Particle ◽  
Luminal Membrane

Freeze-fracturing splits membranes into two helves, thus allowing an examination of the membrane interior. The 5-10 rm particles visible on both monolayers are widely assumed to be proteinaceous in nature. Most membranes do not reveal impressions complementary to particles on the opposite fracture face, if the membranes are fractured under conditions without etching. Even if it is considered that shadowing, contamination or fracturing itself might obscure complementary pits', there is no satisfactory explanation why under similar physical circimstances matching halves of other membranes can be visualized. A prominent example of uncomplementarity is found in the erythrocyte manbrane. It is wall established that band 3 protein and possibly glycophorin represents these nonccmplanentary particles. On the other hand a number of membrane types show pits opposite the particles. Scme well known examples are the ";gap junction',"; tight junction, the luminal membrane of the bladder epithelial cells and the outer membrane of Escherichia coli.

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