Interactions between paralogous bacterial enhancer‐binding proteins enable metal‐dependent regulation of alternative nitrogenases in Azotobacter vinelandii

What is it about?

In addition to using the conventional molybdenum nitrogenase to fix atmospheric nitrogen, some diazotrophic bacteria encode alternative nitrogenase isoenzymes, named the vanadium-dependent and iron-only nitrogenases respectively. Here we uncover a complex metal-dependent regulatory network, which controls hierarchical expression of the alternative nitrogenases in Azotobacter vinelandii, through interactions between bacterial enhancer proteins that fine-tune regulation of gene expression.

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