Prokaryotic ammonium transporters : what has three decades of research revealed?
Bizior, Adriana and Williamson, Gordon and Harris, Thomas and Hoskisson, Paul A. and Javelle, Arnaud (2023) Prokaryotic ammonium transporters : what has three decades of research revealed? Microbiology, 169 (7). 001360. ISSN 1465-2080 (https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001360)
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Abstract
The exchange of ammonium across cellular membranes is a fundamental process in all domains of life. In plants, bacteria and fungi, ammonium represents a vital source of nitrogen, which is scavenged from the external environment. In contrast, in animal cells ammonium is a cytotoxic metabolic waste product and must be excreted to prevent cell death. Transport of ammonium is facilitated by the ubiquitous Amt/Mep/Rh transporter superfamily. In addition to their function as transporters, Amt/Mep/Rh proteins play roles in a diverse array of biological processes and human physiopathology. Despite this clear physiological importance and medical relevance, the molecular mechanism of Amt/Mep/Rh proteins has remained elusive. Crystal structures of bacterial Amt/Rh proteins suggest electroneutral transport, whilst functional evidence supports an electrogenic mechanism. Here, focusing on bacterial members of the family, we summarize the structure of Amt/Rh proteins and what three decades of research tells us concerning the general mechanisms of ammonium translocation, in particular the possibility that the transport mechanism might differ in various members of the Amt/Mep/Rh superfamily.
ORCID iDs
Bizior, Adriana, Williamson, Gordon, Harris, Thomas, Hoskisson, Paul A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4332-1640 and Javelle, Arnaud ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3611-5737;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 86141 Dates: DateEvent14 July 2023Published24 June 2023AcceptedSubjects: Science > Microbiology Department: Faculty of Science > Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 13 Jul 2023 10:32 Last modified: 11 Nov 2024 14:00 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/86141