Exploring diazotrophic diversity: unveiling Nif core distribution and evolutionary patterns in nitrogen-fixing organisms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Diazotrophs carry out biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) using the nitrogenase enzyme complex (NEC), which relies on nitrogenase encoded by nif genes. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and gene duplications have created significant diversity among these genes, making it challenging to identify potential diazotrophs. Previous studies have established a minimal set of Nif proteins, known as the Nif core, which includes NifH, NifD, NifK, NifE, NifN, and NifB. This study aimed to identify potential diazotroph groups based on the Nif core and to analyze the inheritance patterns of accessory Nif proteins related to Mo-nitrogenase, along with their impact on N2 fixation maintenance.

Results

In a systematic study, 118 diazotrophs were identified, resulting in a database of 2

SUBMITTER: Nichio BTL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11773926 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature