Biological Nitrogen Fixation

Nitrogen is arguably the most important nutrient required by plants. However, the availability of nitrogen is limited in many soils and although the earth's atmosphere consists of 78.1% nitrogen gas (N2) plants are unable to use this form of nitrogen. To compensate , modern agriculture has been highly reliant on industrial nitrogen fertilizers to achieve maximum crop productivity. However, a great deal of fossil fuel is required for the production and delivery of nitrogen fertilizer. Moreover carbon dioxide (CO2) which is released during fossil fuel combustion contributes to the greenhouse effect and run off of nitrate leads to eutrophication of the waterways. Biological nitrogen fixation is an alternative to nitrogen fertilizer. It is carried out by prokaryotes using an enzyme complex called nitrogenase and results in atmospheric N2 being reduced into a form of nitrogen diazotrophic organisms and plants are able to use (ammonia). It is this process and its major players which will be discussed in this book. Biological Nitrogen Fixation is a comprehensive two volume work bringing together both review and original research articles on key topics in nitrogen fixation. Chapters across both volumes emphasize molecular techniques and advanced biochemical analysis approaches applicable to various aspects of biological nitrogen fixation. Volume 1 explores the chemistry and biochemistry of nitrogenases, nif gene regulation, the taxonomy, evolution, and genomics of nitrogen fixing organisms, as well as their physiology and metabolism. Volume 2 covers the symbiotic interaction of nitrogen fixing organisms with their host plants, including nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation, plant and microbial "omics", cyanobacteria, diazotrophs and non-legumes, field studies and inoculum preparation, as well as nitrogen fixation and cereals. Covering the full breadth of current nitrogen fixation research and expanding it towards future advances in the field, Biological Nitrogen Fixation will be a one-stop reference for microbial ecologists and environmental microbiologists as well as plant and agricultural researchers working on crop sustainability.

Auteur

Frans J. de Bruijn received his Ph.D. (Cellular and Developmental Biology; Microbial Genetics) from Harvard University in 1983. His resume reflects an array of experiences as a teacher, researcher, board member, and he is currently Director of Research at the Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interactions in Toulouse, France.

Contenu
Biological Nitrogen Fixation

VOLUME 1

Chapter 1. Introduction

Frans J. de Bruijn

Section 1. Focus Chapters

Chapter 2. Recent advances in Understanding Nitrogenases and How They Work

William Newton

Chapter 3. Evolution and Taxonomy of Nitrogen-fixing Organisms with emphasis on Rhizobia

Kristina Lindstrom

Chapter 4. Evolution of Rhizobium Nodulation: From Nodule Specific Genes (Nodulins) to Recruitment of Common Processes

Ton Bisseling

Chapter 5. Bioengineering Nitrogen Acquisition in Rice: Promises for Global Food Security

Herbert Kronzucker

Section 2. Chemistry and Biochemistry of Nitrogenases

Chapter 6. An Overview of Fe-S Protein Biogenesis from Prokaryotes to Eukaryotes

Mahipal Kesawat

Chapter 7. Biosynthesis of the Iron-Molybdenum Cofactor of Nitrogenase

Luis Rubio

Chapter 8. Distribution and Ecological Niches of Nitrogenases

Alexander Glazer

Section 3. Expression and Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation Genes and Nitrogenase

Chapter 9. Regulation of nif Gene Expression in Azotobacter vinelandii

Cesar Poza-Carrion, Luis Rubio

Chapter 10. Coupling of Regulation between Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism in Nitrogen Fixing Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501

Lin Min

Chapter 11. Regulation of NItrogen Fixation and Molybdenum Transport in Rhodobacter capsulatus

Bernd Masepohl

Chapter 12. Metabolic Regulation of Nitrogenase Activity in Rhodospirillum rubrum: The Role of PII Proteins and Membrane Sequestration

Stefan Nordlund

Chapter 13. How Does the DraG-PII Complex Regulate Nitrogenase Activity in Azospirillum brasilense?

Xiao-Dan Li

Chapter 14. Fe Protein Over-expression Can Enhance the Nitrogenase Activity of Azotobacter vinelandii

Papri Nag

Chapter 15. FNR-like Proteins in Rhizobia: Past and Future

Lourdes Girard

Section 4. Taxonomy and Evolution of Nitrogen Fixing Organisms

Chapter 16. Exploring Alternative Paths for the Evolution of Biological Nitrogen Fixation

John Peters

Chapter 17. Phylogeny, Diversity, Geographical Distribution and Host Range of Legume-Nodulating Betaproteobacteria: What Is the Role of Plant Taxonomy?

Lionel Moulin, Euan James

Chapter 18. Bradyrhizobium, The Ancestor of All Rhizobia: Phylogeny of Housekeeping and Nitrogen-fixation Genes

Mariangela Hungria

Chapter 19. Interaction between Host and Rhizobial Strains: Affinities and Coevolution

Mario Aguilar

Chapter 20. Assessment of Nitrogenase Diversity in the Environment

Daniel Buckley

Section 5. Genomics of Nitrogen Fixing Organisms

Chapter 21. Genetic Regulation of Symbiosis Island Transfer in Mesorhizobium loti

Joshua Ramsay, Clive Ronson

Chapter 22. The Azotobacter vinelandii Genome: An Update

Joao C. Setubal

Chapter 23. The Genome Sequence of the Novel Rhizobial Species Microvirga lotononidis Strain WSM3557.

Julie Ardley

Chapter 24. Genome Characteristics of Frankia sp. Reflect Host Range and Host Plant Biogeography

Philippe Normand, David Benson

Chapter 25. Core and Accessory Henomes of The Diazotroph Azospirillum

Florence Wisniewski-Dye

Chapter 26. Pangenome Evolution in The Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixer Sinorhizobium meliloti

Marco Galardini

Chapter 27. Pangenomic Analysis of The Rhizobiales Using The GET_HOMOLOGUES Software Package

Pablo Vinuesa

Section 6. Physiology and Metabolism of Nitrogen Fixing Organisms Chapter 28. Metabolism of Photosynthetic Bradyrhizobia During Root and ...