Asparagine degradation in .

The degradation of asparagine by involves asparaginase and aspartate ammonia-lyase (L-aspartase). The two enzymes were shown to be positively regulated by asparagine and negatively regulated by the carbon source. Asparaginase activity was not regulated by oxygen concentration or by nitrogen catabolite repression. Induction of both enzymes by asparagine enables to utilize asparagine as carbon source. Asparaginase may also be involved in maintaining the optimal balance between asparagine and aspartate. Aspartase was not involved in the utilization of aspartate or glutamate as carbon source. The presence of high levels of the two enzymes in bacteroids suggests that they may have a role in symbiosis between and .