Biomaterial Database

Autoregulation of the synthesis of nitrate reductase in Aspergillus nidulans. 1969

D J Cove, and J A Pateman

In Aspergillus nidulans, the syntheses of nitrate and nitrite reductases are induced by nitrate, and are repressed by ammonium. It is possible in wild-type strains to overcome partially the repressive effect of ammonium, by the addition of high concentrations of nitrate to the growth medium. Mutations which lead to the production of abnormal nitrate reductase affect in addition the control of the synthesis of the nitrate-metabolizing enzymes, which in these strains are produced constitutively. That this is not due to the accumulation of an internal inducer has now been shown, as these mutants have been found to be unable to respond to nitrate induction in the presence of ammonium in the same way as do wild-type strains. To explain these findings, we propose that the nitrate reductase molecule provides the recognition site for nitrate in the control system, such that when it is not complexed with nitrate it acts as a co-repressor, and, when it is complexed, as a co-inducer.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008967	Molecular Biology	A discipline concerned with studying biological phenomena in terms of the chemical and physical interactions of molecules.	Biochemical Genetics,Biology, Molecular,Genetics, Biochemical,Genetics, Molecular,Molecular Genetics,Biochemical Genetic,Genetic, Biochemical,Genetic, Molecular,Molecular Genetic
D009566	Nitrates	Inorganic or organic salts and esters of nitric acid. These compounds contain the NO3- radical.	Nitrate
D009573	Nitrites	Salts of nitrous acid or compounds containing the group NO2-. The inorganic nitrites of the type MNO2 (where M	Nitrite
D010088	Oxidoreductases	The class of all enzymes catalyzing oxidoreduction reactions. The substrate that is oxidized is regarded as a hydrogen donor. The systematic name is based on donor:acceptor oxidoreductase. The recommended name will be dehydrogenase, wherever this is possible; as an alternative, reductase can be used. Oxidase is only used in cases where O2 is the acceptor. (Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992, p9)	Dehydrogenases,Oxidases,Oxidoreductase,Reductases,Dehydrogenase,Oxidase,Reductase
D004790	Enzyme Induction	An increase in the rate of synthesis of an enzyme due to the presence of an inducer which acts to derepress the gene responsible for enzyme synthesis.	Induction, Enzyme
D004794	Enzyme Repression	The interference in synthesis of an enzyme due to the elevated level of an effector substance, usually a metabolite, whose presence would cause depression of the gene responsible for enzyme synthesis.	Repression, Enzyme
D005827	Genetics, Microbial	A subdiscipline of genetics which deals with the genetic mechanisms and processes of microorganisms.	Microbial Genetics,Genetic, Microbial,Microbial Genetic
D006898	Hydroxylamines	Organic compounds that contain the (-NH2OH) radical.
D000644	Quaternary Ammonium Compounds	Derivatives of ammonium compounds, NH4+ Y-, in which all four of the hydrogens bonded to nitrogen have been replaced with hydrocarbyl groups. These are distinguished from IMINES which are RN	Quaternary Ammonium Compound,Ammonium Compound, Quaternary,Ammonium Compounds, Quaternary,Compound, Quaternary Ammonium
D001230	Aspergillus	A genus of mitosporic fungi containing about 100 species and eleven different teleomorphs in the family Trichocomaceae.