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Journal of Bacteriology, June 2004, p. 3346-3354, Vol. 186, No. 11
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.11.3346-3354.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Interactions between the Nitrogen Signal Transduction Protein PII and N-Acetyl Glutamate Kinase in Organisms That Perform Oxygenic Photosynthesis

Sergio Burillo, Ignacio Luque, Inmaculada Fuentes, and Asunción Contreras*

División de Genética, Universidad de Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain

Received 3 February 2004/ Accepted 25 February 2004

PII, one of the most conserved signal transduction proteins, is believed to be a key player in the coordination of nitrogen assimilation and carbon metabolism in bacteria, archaea, and plants. However, the identity of PII receptors remains elusive, particularly in photosynthetic organisms. Here we used yeast two-hybrid approaches to identify new PII receptors and to explore the extent of conservation of PII signaling mechanisms between eubacteria and photosynthetic eukaryotes. Screening of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 libraries with PII as bait resulted in identification of N-acetyl glutamate kinase (NAGK), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of arginine. The integrity of Ser49, a residue conserved in PII proteins from organisms that perform oxygenic photosynthesis, appears to be essential for NAGK binding. The effect of glnB mutations on NAGK activity is consistent with positive regulation of NAGK by PII. Phylogenetic and yeast two-hybrid analyses strongly suggest that there was conservation of the NAGK-PII regulatory interaction in the evolution of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts, providing insight into the function of eukaryotic PII-like proteins.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: División de Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain. Phone: 34 96 590 3957. Fax: 34 96 590 9569. E-mail: contrera{at}ua.es.

Journal of Bacteriology, June 2004, p. 3346-3354, Vol. 186, No. 11
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.11.3346-3354.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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