Nitrogen fixation by photosynthetic bacteria: fundamentals and applications

光合细菌在代谢方面非常多才多艺，是理解各种基本生物过程的优秀模式生物，包括；固氮、光合作用和代谢调节。我们目前专注于破译氨和能量感应在荚膜红杆菌中调节氮酶的作用。微生物的生存和竞争力取决于它们对外部环境的感知和反应能力。这在代谢后形成细胞基本构件的化合物中尤为明显。基于营养的调控在转录控制方面已经得到了广泛的研究，但对养分有效性的直接感知知之甚少。

The photosynthetic bacteria are extremely metabolically versatile and serve as excellent model organisms for understanding a variety of basic biological processes including; nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis, and metabolic regulation. We are presently concentrating on deciphering the role of ammonia and energy sensing in the regulation of nitrogenase in Rhodobacter capsulatus. The survival and competiveness of microorganisms depend on their ability to sense and respond to the external milieu. This is particularly evident with compounds that are metabolized to form the basic building blocks of the cell. Nutrient-based regulation has been extensively studied with respect to transcriptional control, yet little is known about the direct sensing of nutrient availability.