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The Network of PII Signalling Protein Interactions in Unicellular Cyanobacteria

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Recent Advances in Phototrophic Prokaryotes

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 675))

Abstract

PII signalling proteins constitute a large superfamily of signal perception and transduction proteins, which is represented in all domains of life and whose members play central roles in coordinating nitrogen assimilation. Generally, PII proteins act as sensors of the cellular adenylylate energy charge and 2-oxoglutarate level, and in response to these signals, they regulate central nitrogen assimilatory processes at various levels of control (from nutrient transport to gene expression) through protein–protein interactions with PII receptor proteins. An examination of the phylogeny of cyanobacteria reveals that specific functions of PII signalling evolved in this microbial lineage, which are not found in other prokaryotes. At least one of these functions, regulation of arginine biosynthesis by controlling the key enzyme N-acetyl-l-glutamate kinase (NAGK), was transmitted by the ancestral cyanobacterium, which gave rise to chloroplasts, into the eukaryotic domain and was conserved during the evolution of planta. We have investigated in some detail the PII signalling protein, its signal perception and its interactions with receptors in the unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 and Synechocystis PCC 6803 and have performed comparative analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana PII–NAGK interaction. This chapter will summarize these studies and will describe the emerging picture of a complex network of PII protein interactions in the unicellular cyanobacteria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Mikrobiologie der Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Karl Forchhammer

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  1. Karl Forchhammer
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Correspondence to Karl Forchhammer .

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  1. Dépt. de microbiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, H3C 3J7, Canada

    Patrick C. Hallenbeck

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Forchhammer, K. (2010). The Network of PII Signalling Protein Interactions in Unicellular Cyanobacteria. In: Hallenbeck, P. (eds) Recent Advances in Phototrophic Prokaryotes. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 675. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1528-3_5

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