This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Marzluf, G. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Marzluf, G. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev., 03 1997, 17-32, Vol 61, No. 1
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology

Genetic regulation of nitrogen metabolism in the fungi

GA Marzluf
Department of Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. marzluf.1@osu.edu

In the fungi, nitrogen metabolism is controlled by a complex genetic regulatory circuit which ensures the preferential use of primary nitrogen sources and also confers the ability to use many different secondary nitrogen sources when appropriate. Most structural genes encoding nitrogen catabolic enzymes are subject to nitrogen catabolite repression, mediated by positive-acting transcription factors of the GATA family of proteins. However, certain GATA family members, such as the yeast DAL80 factor, act negatively to repress gene expression. Selective expression of the genes which encode enzymes for the metabolism of secondary nitrogen sources is often achieved by induction, mediated by pathway-specific factors, many of which have a GAL4-like C6/Zn2 DNA binding domain. Regulation within the nitrogen circuit also involves specific protein-protein interactions, as exemplified by the specific binding of the negative-acting NMR protein with the positive-acting NIT2 protein of Neurospora crassa. Nitrogen metabolic regulation appears to play a significant role in the pathogenicity of certain animal and plant fungal pathogens.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Boden, M., Bailey, T. L. (2008). Associating transcription factor-binding site motifs with target GO terms and target genes. Nucleic Acids Res 36: 4108-4117 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wong, K. H., Hynes, M. J., Davis, M. A. (2008). Recent Advances in Nitrogen Regulation: a Comparison between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Filamentous Fungi. Eukaryot Cell 7: 917-925 [Full Text]  
• Rolland, S. G., Bruel, C. A. (2008). Sulphur and nitrogen regulation of the protease-encoding ACP1 gene in the fungus Botrytis cinerea: correlation with a phospholipase D activity. Microbiology 154: 1464-1473 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fernandez, E., Galvan, A. (2008). Nitrate Assimilation in Chlamydomonas. Eukaryot Cell 7: 555-559 [Full Text]  
• Zhang, Y.-Q., Rao, R. (2007). Global Disruption of Cell Cycle Progression and Nutrient Response by the Antifungal Agent Amiodarone. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 37844-37853 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Camargo, A., Llamas, A., Schnell, R. A., Higuera, J. J., Gonzalez-Ballester, D., Lefebvre, P. A., Fernandez, E., Galvan, A. (2007). Nitrate Signaling by the Regulatory Gene NIT2 in Chlamydomonas. Plant Cell 19: 3491-3503 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Cai, H., Hauser, M., Naider, F., Becker, J. M. (2007). Differential Regulation and Substrate Preferences in Two Peptide Transporters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Eukaryot Cell 6: 1805-1813 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Slot, J. C., Hallstrom, K. N., Matheny, P. B., Hibbett, D. S. (2007). Diversification of NRT2 and the Origin of Its Fungal Homolog. Mol Biol Evol 24: 1731-1743 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Biswas, S., Van Dijck, P., Datta, A. (2007). Environmental Sensing and Signal Transduction Pathways Regulating Morphopathogenic Determinants of Candida albicans. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 71: 348-376 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bernreiter, A., Ramon, A., Fernandez-Martinez, J., Berger, H., Araujo-Bazan, L., Espeso, E. A., Pachlinger, R., Gallmetzer, A., Anderl, I., Scazzocchio, C., Strauss, J. (2007). Nuclear Export of the Transcription Factor NirA Is a Regulatory Checkpoint for Nitrate Induction in Aspergillus nidulans. Mol. Cell. Biol. 27: 791-802 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dementhon, K., Iyer, G., Glass, N. L. (2006). VIB-1 Is Required for Expression of Genes Necessary for Programmed Cell Death in Neurospora crassa. Eukaryot Cell 5: 2161-2173 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Navarro, F. J., Machin, F., Martin, Y., Siverio, J. M. (2006). Down-regulation of Eukaryotic Nitrate Transporter by Nitrogen-dependent Ubiquitinylation. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 13268-13274 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Cai, H., Kauffman, S., Naider, F., Becker, J. M. (2006). Genomewide Screen Reveals a Wide Regulatory Network for Di/Tripeptide Utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 172: 1459-1476 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kramer-Haimovich, H., Servi, E., Katan, T., Rollins, J., Okon, Y., Prusky, D. (2006). Effect of Ammonia Production by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on pelB Activation, Pectate Lyase Secretion, and Fruit Pathogenicity. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 1034-1039 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Monahan, B. J., Askin, M. C., Hynes, M. J., Davis, M. A. (2006). Differential Expression of Aspergillus nidulans Ammonium Permease Genes Is Regulated by GATA Transcription Factor AreA. Eukaryot Cell 5: 226-237 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Todd, R. B., Fraser, J. A., Wong, K. H., Davis, M. A., Hynes, M. J. (2005). Nuclear Accumulation of the GATA Factor AreA in Response to Complete Nitrogen Starvation by Regulation of Nuclear Export. Eukaryot Cell 4: 1646-1653 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Pelletier, B., Trott, A., Morano, K. A., Labbe, S. (2005). Functional Characterization of the Iron-regulatory Transcription Factor Fep1 from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. J. Biol. Chem. 280: 25146-25161 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hewald, S., Josephs, K., Bolker, M. (2005). Genetic Analysis of Biosurfactant Production in Ustilago maydis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 3033-3040 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Noor, S., Punekar, N. S. (2005). Allosteric NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase from aspergilli: purification, characterization and implications for metabolic regulation at the carbon-nitrogen interface. Microbiology 151: 1409-1419 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gonzalez-Ballester, D., de Montaigu, A., Higuera, J. J., Galvan, A., Fernandez, E. (2005). Functional Genomics of the Regulation of the Nitrate Assimilation Pathway in Chlamydomonas. Plant Physiol. 137: 522-533 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lamb, H. K., Ren, J., Park, A., Johnson, C., Leslie, K., Cocklin, S., Thompson, P., Mee, C., Cooper, A., Stammers, D. K., Hawkins, A. R. (2004). Modulation of the ligand binding properties of the transcription repressor NmrA by GATA-containing DNA and site-directed mutagenesis. Protein Sci. 13: 3127-3138 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hudson, D. A., Sciascia, Q. L., Sanders, R. J., Norris, G. E., Edwards, P. J. B., Sullivan, P. A., Farley, P. C. (2004). Identification of the dialysable serum inducer of germ-tube formation in Candida albicans. Microbiology 150: 3041-3049 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Christensen, M. K., Falkeid, G., Loros, J. J., Dunlap, J. C., Lillo, C., Ruoff, P. (2004). A Nitrate-Induced frq-Less Oscillator in Neurospora crassa. J Biol Rhythms 19: 280-286 [Abstract]  
• Chou, H.-C., Lee, C.-Z., Ma, L.-C., Fang, C.-T., Chang, S.-C., Wang, J.-T. (2004). Isolation of a Chromosomal Region of Klebsiella pneumoniae Associated with Allantoin Metabolism and Liver Infection. Infect. Immun. 72: 3783-3792 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kingsbury, J. M., Yang, Z., Ganous, T. M., Cox, G. M., McCusker, J. H. (2004). Novel Chimeric Spermidine Synthase-Saccharopine Dehydrogenase Gene (SPE3-LYS9) in the Human Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 3: 752-763 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Muro-Pastor, M. I., Strauss, J., Ramon, A., Scazzocchio, C. (2004). A Paradoxical Mutant GATA Factor. Eukaryot Cell 3: 393-405 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Borkovich, K. A., Alex, L. A., Yarden, O., Freitag, M., Turner, G. E., Read, N. D., Seiler, S., Bell-Pedersen, D., Paietta, J., Plesofsky, N., Plamann, M., Goodrich-Tanrikulu, M., Schulte, U., Mannhaupt, G., Nargang, F. E., Radford, A., Selitrennikoff, C., Galagan, J. E., Dunlap, J. C., Loros, J. J., Catcheside, D., Inoue, H., Aramayo, R., Polymenis, M., Selker, E. U., Sachs, M. S., Marzluf, G. A., Paulsen, I., Davis, R., Ebbole, D. J., Zelter, A., Kalkman, E. R., O'Rourke, R., Bowring, F., Yeadon, J., Ishii, C., Suzuki, K., Sakai, W., Pratt, R. (2004). Lessons from the Genome Sequence of Neurospora crassa: Tracing the Path from Genomic Blueprint to Multicellular Organism. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 68: 1-108 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lamb, H. K., Leslie, K., Dodds, A. L., Nutley, M., Cooper, A., Johnson, C., Thompson, P., Stammers, D. K., Hawkins, A. R. (2003). The Negative Transcriptional Regulator NmrA Discriminates between Oxidized and Reduced Dinucleotides. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 32107-32114 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Drori, N., Kramer-Haimovich, H., Rollins, J., Dinoor, A., Okon, Y., Pines, O., Prusky, D. (2003). External pH and Nitrogen Source Affect Secretion of Pectate Lyase by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 3258-3262 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Laughlin, R. J., Stevens, R. J. (2002). Evidence for Fungal Dominance of Denitrification and Codenitrification in a Grassland Soil. Soil Sci. 66: 1540-1548 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fraser, J. A., Davis, M. A., Hynes, M. J. (2002). A Gene from Aspergillus nidulans with Similarity to URE2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Encodes a Glutathione S-Transferase Which Contributes to Heavy Metal and Xenobiotic Resistance. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 2802-2808 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Margelis, S., D'Souza, C., Small, A. J., Hynes, M. J., Adams, T. H., Davis, M. A. (2001). Role of Glutamine Synthetase in Nitrogen Metabolite Repression in Aspergillus nidulans. J. Bacteriol. 183: 5826-5833 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schultz, A. C., Nygaard, P., Saxild, H. H. (2001). Functional Analysis of 14 Genes That Constitute the Purine Catabolic Pathway in Bacillus subtilis and Evidence for a Novel Regulon Controlled by the PucR Transcription Activator. J. Bacteriol. 183: 3293-3302 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Poussereau, N., Creton, S., Billon-Grand, G., Rascle, C., Fevre, M. (2001). Regulation of acp1, encoding a non-aspartyl acid protease expressed during pathogenesis of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Microbiology 147: 717-726 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Herrero, A., Muro-Pastor, A. M., Flores, E. (2001). Nitrogen Control in Cyanobacteria. J. Bacteriol. 183: 411-425 [Full Text]  
• Nakagawa, Y., Sugioka, S., Kaneko, Y., Harashima, S. (2001). O2R, a Novel Regulatory Element Mediating Rox1p-Independent O2 and Unsaturated Fatty Acid Repression of OLE1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Bacteriol. 183: 745-751 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fraser, J. A., Davis, M. A., Hynes, M. J. (2001). The Formamidase Gene of Aspergillus nidulans: Regulation by Nitrogen Metabolite Repression and Transcriptional Interference by an Overlapping Upstream Gene. Genetics 157: 119-131 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Komeili, A., Wedaman, K. P., O'Shea, E. K., Powers, T. (2000). Mechanism of Metabolic Control: Target of Rapamycin Signaling Links Nitrogen Quality to the Activity of the Rtg1 and Rtg3 Transcription Factors. J. Cell Biol. 151: 863-878 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Zadra, I., Abt, B., Parson, W., Haas, H. (2000). xylP Promoter-Based Expression System and Its Use for Antisense Downregulation of the Penicillium chrysogenum Nitrogen Regulator NRE. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 4810-4816 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• D'Alessio, M., Brandriss, M. C. (2000). Cross-Pathway Regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Activation of the Proline Utilization Pathway by Gal4p In Vivo. J. Bacteriol. 182: 3748-3753 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Martín, J. F. (2000). Molecular Control of Expression of Penicillin Biosynthesis Genes in Fungi: Regulatory Proteins Interact with a Bidirectional Promoter Region. J. Bacteriol. 182: 2355-2362 [Full Text]  
• Edskes, H. K., Hanover, J. A., Wickner, R. B. (1999). Mks1p Is a Regulator of Nitrogen Catabolism Upstream of Ure2p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 153: 585-594 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Small, A. J., Hynes, M. J., Davis, M. A. (1999). The TamA Protein Fused to a DNA-Binding Domain Can Recruit AreA, the Major Nitrogen Regulatory Protein, to Activate Gene Expression in Aspergillus nidulans. Genetics 153: 95-105 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Klasson, H., Fink, G. R., Ljungdahl, P. O. (1999). Ssy1p and Ptr3p Are Plasma Membrane Components of a Yeast System That Senses Extracellular Amino Acids. Mol. Cell. Biol. 19: 5405-5416 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Berrocal-Tito, G., Sametz-Baron, L., Eichenberg, K., Horwitz, B. A., Herrera-Estrella, A. (1999). Rapid Blue Light Regulation of a Trichoderma harzianum Photolyase Gene. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 14288-14294 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Iraqui, I., Vissers, S., Andre, B., Urrestarazu, A. (1999). Transcriptional Induction by Aromatic Amino Acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol. Cell. Biol. 19: 3360-3371 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Brakhage, A. A. (1998). Molecular Regulation of beta -Lactam Biosynthesis in Filamentous Fungi. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62: 547-585 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wilson, R. A., Arst, H. N. Jr. (1998). Mutational Analysis of AREA, a Transcriptional Activator Mediating Nitrogen Metabolite Repression in Aspergillus nidulans and a Member of the "Streetwise" GATA Family of Transcription Factors. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62: 586-596 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Feng, B., Marzluf, G. A. (1998). Interaction between Major Nitrogen Regulatory Protein NIT2 and Pathway-Specific Regulatory Factor NIT4 Is Required for Their Synergistic Activation of Gene Expression in Neurospora crassa. Mol. Cell. Biol. 18: 3983-3990 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Andrianopoulos, A., Kourambas, S., Sharp, J. A., Davis, M. A., Hynes, M. J. (1998). Characterization of the Aspergillus nidulans nmrA Gene Involved in Nitrogen Metabolite Repression. J. Bacteriol. 180: 1973-1977 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Haas, H., Angermayr, K., Zadra, I., Stoffler, G. (1997). Overexpression of nreB, a New GATA Factor-encoding Gene of Penicillium chrysogenum, Leads to Repression of the Nitrate Assimilatory Gene Cluster. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 22576-22582 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Muro-Pastor, M. I., Reyes, J. C., Florencio, F. J. (2001). Cyanobacteria Perceive Nitrogen Status by Sensing Intracellular 2-Oxoglutarate Levels. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 38320-38328 [Abstract] [Full Text]