Independence of carbon and nitrogen control in the posttranslational regulation of nitrate transport in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942.

Nitrate transport by Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 cells was inhibited by ammonium and by inhibitors of CO2 fixation. Ammonium assimilation inhibitors, such as L-methionine D,L-sulfoximine, were known to prevent the negative effects of ammonium and of inhibitors of CO2 fixation on nitrate uptake, leading to propose that CO2 fixation was required to counteract the feed-back inhibition of nitrate assimilation. In NR-less mutants, L-methionine D,L-sulfoximine prevented the negative effects of ammonium on nitrate transport, but not always prevented those of inhibiting CO2 fixation. The carboxy-terminal domain of the NrtC subunit of the nitrate transporter has recently been identified as a regulatory domain involved in N-control. The mutant strain NC2, constructed by deleting the 3' portion of nrtC, showed high nitrate transport activity insensitive to ammonium but sensitive to inhibitors of CO2 fixation. These findings indicate that the C-control and the N-control of nitrate transport are independent at both the physiological and the molecular level.