Nitrogen fixation by photosynthetic bacteria: fundamentals and applications

光合作用细菌具有极强的新陈代谢能力，是了解各种基本生物过程的极佳模式生物，包括固氮、光合作用和代谢调节。我们目前正致力于破译氨和能量感应在调节胶囊红杆菌固氮酶中的作用。微生物的生存和竞争能力取决于它们对外界环境的感知和反应能力。这一点在代谢形成细胞基本构件的化合物中尤为明显。在转录调控方面，基于营养的调控已经得到了广泛的研究，但对营养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.