Expression of macromolecular organic nitrogen degrading enzymes identifies potential mediators of soil organic N availability to an annual grass.

ABSTRACT: Nitrogen (N) is frequently limiting to plant growth, in part because most soil N is present as polymeric organic compounds that are not readily taken up by plants. Microbial depolymerization of these large macromolecular N-substrates gradually releases available inorganic N. While many studies have researched and modeled controls on soil organic matter formation and bulk N mineralization, the ecological-spatial, temporal and phylogenetic-patterns underlying organic N degradation remain unclear. We analyzed 48 time-resolved metatranscriptomes and quantified N-depolymerization gene expression to resolve differential expression by soil habitat and time in specific taxonomic groups and gene-based guilds. We observed much higher expression of extracellular serine-type proteases than other extra

SUBMITTER: Sieradzki ET 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10284887 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature