“Bacteria that fix nitrogen only do so when they sense that there is very little nitrogen available in their environment,” says Professor Ray Dixon (Project Leader at the JIC. “Normally the genes for nitrogen fixation are locked off and only unlocked and used when nitrogen levels in the environment fall. We have discovered a key piece of biochemistry that allows us to better understand how the lock operates and so may allow us to alter how it works”.
The bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen when available nitrogen in its environment falls below a threshold level. Nitrogen fixation requires a great deal of energy and so the genes that carry out nitrogen fixation (so called nif genes) are tightly regulated and switched off when not required.
The nif genes are regulated by the action of two proteins, called NifL and NifA. NifA stimulates the activity of nif genes, while NifL normally binds to NifA and renders it inactive. Thus whether the nif genes are active or not depends on the interaction between these two proteins. Both proteins are sensitive to biochemical signals that occur in the bacterial cell when conditions are right for nitrogen fixation. The proteins’ physical shape and structure alters in response to these signals and this affects their ability to bind to one another. The result is that, when conditions are right for nitrogen fixation, NifA is released from the grip of NifL and is then able to stimulate the activity of the nif genes and so switches on nitrogen fixation by the cell.
At last, butterflies get a bigger, better evolutionary tree
16.02.2018 | Florida Museum of Natural History
New treatment strategies for chronic kidney disease from the animal kingdom
16.02.2018 | Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien
Breakthrough provides a new concept of the design of molecular motors, sensors and electricity generators at nanoscale
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For photographers and scientists, lenses are lifesavers. They reflect and refract light, making possible the imaging systems that drive discovery through the microscope and preserve history through cameras.
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Scientists from the University of Zurich have succeeded for the first time in tracking individual stem cells and their neuronal progeny over months within the intact adult brain. This study sheds light on how new neurons are produced throughout life.
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Theoretical physicists propose to use negative interference to control heat flow in quantum devices. Study published in Physical Review Letters
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Let’s say the armrest is broken in your vintage car. As things stand, you would need a lot of luck and persistence to find the right spare part. But in the world of Industrie 4.0 and production with batch sizes of one, you can simply scan the armrest and print it out. This is made possible by the first ever 3D scanner capable of working autonomously and in real time. The autonomous scanning system will be on display at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 6 and at the Hannover Messe proper from April 23 to 27, 2018 (Hall 6, Booth A30).
Part of the charm of vintage cars is that they stopped making them long ago, so it is special when you do see one out on the roads. If something breaks or...
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