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Nitrogen Metabolism

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Cyanidioschyzon merolae

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Abstract

Cyanidioschyzon merolae is able to grow on ammonium, as well as nitrate, as the sole nitrogen source; however, this alga does not have a canonical nitrite reductase (NiR). Interestingly, a sulfite reductase-like protein (SiRB) functions as the NiR in this alga. Unlike the genomes of higher plants, the C. merolae genome encodes only one glutamine synthetase (GS), which is localized in the cytosol. Thus, the nitrogen assimilation pathway in C. merolae is complex and unique, since the intermediate metabolites of nitrogen assimilation must translocate back and forth between the chloroplast and the cytosol during the nitrogen assimilation process. Using genetic and molecular biology approaches, we found that the MYB-type transcription factor, MYB1, is the central regulator of nitrogen assimilation. Nitrogen depletion-induced transcripts of nitrogen assimilation genes were completely absent from the MYB1-knockout strain. Furthermore, direct interactions between MYB1 and the promoter regions of nitrogen assimilation genes were observed in vivo and in vitro. Although MYB1-dependent transcripts of nitrogen assimilation genes were detected in nitrate-grown cells, they disappeared upon the addition of a preferred nitrogen source such as ammonium or glutamine. These findings suggested that MYB1 mediates the nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive transcription of nitrogen assimilation genes in response to nitrogen status in C. merolae.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, R1-29, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan

    Sousuke Imamura & Kan Tanaka

Authors
  1. Sousuke Imamura
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  2. Kan Tanaka
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Sousuke Imamura or Kan Tanaka .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women’s University, Tokyo, Japan

    Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa

  2. Department of Cell Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan

    Shinya Miyagishima

  3. Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan

    Sachihiro Matsunaga

  4. Department of Life Sciences Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Naoki Sato

  5. Department of Biological Sciences Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Hisayoshi Nozaki

  6. Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan

    Kan Tanaka

  7. Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Science and Chemistry, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan

    Osami Misumi

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Imamura, S., Tanaka, K. (2017). Nitrogen Metabolism. In: Kuroiwa, T., et al. Cyanidioschyzon merolae. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6101-1_18

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