Transcriptional response of the archaeal ammonia oxidizer Nitrosopumilus maritimus to low and environmentally relevant ammonia concentrations.

ABSTRACT: The ability of chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing archaea to compete for ammonia among marine microorganisms at low ambient concentrations has been in part attributed to their extremely high affinity for ammonia, but as yet there is no mechanistic understanding of supporting metabolism. We examined transcription of selected genes for anabolic functions (CO2 fixation, ammonia transport, and cell wall synthesis) and a central catabolic function (ammonia oxidation) in the thaumarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1 growing at two ammonia concentrations, as measured by combined ammonia and ammonium, one well above the Km for ammonia oxidation (∼500 μM) and the other well below the Km (<10 nM). Transcript levels were generally immediately and differentially repressed when cells transitioned fro

SUBMITTER: Nakagawa T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3811556 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature