Glycolate Metabolism Is Under Nitrogen Control in Chlorella

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Abstract
The utilization of nitrate and ammonia as nitrogen sources had different effects on the metabolism of glycolate in Cholorella sorokiniana. During photolithotrophic growth with nitrate as nitrogen source, glycolate was metabolized via the glycine-serine pathway. Ammonia, produced as a result of glycolate metabolism, was reassimilated by glutamine synthetase. Two isoforms of this enzyme were present at different relative abundance in C. sorokiniana wild type and in a mutant with an increased capacity for the metabolism of glycolate (strain OR). During photolithotrophic growth in the presence of ammonia as sole nitrogen source, several lines of evidence indicated that glycolate was metabolized to malate, pyruvate, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and related amino acids in C. sorokiniana wild-type cells. Malate synthase was induced and glycine decarboxylase and serine-glyoxylate aminotransferase were repressed in cells grown with ammonia. An inverse correlation was observed between aminating NADPH-glutamate dehydrogenase and the in vivo glycine decarboxylation rate.