AI Article Synopsis
- Microbial ammonia oxidation is crucial for nitrogen cycling in various environments, but the specific mechanisms involved remain largely unclear.
- Dirammox is a new process where ammonia is directly converted to nitrogen gas through hydroxylamine, bypassing nitrite and nitrate, and involves specific genes in Alcaligenes species.
- The review covers the discovery of dirammox, its genetic and biochemical aspects, ecological implications, and suggests future research directions in this area.
Article Abstract
Microbial ammonia oxidation plays an important role in nitrogen (N) cycling in natural and man-made systems. Heterotrophic microorganisms that oxidize ammonia were observed more than a century ago; however, the underlying molecular mechanism of ammonia oxidation is still mysterious. Dirammox (direct ammonia oxidation to N) is a newly described heterotrophic ammonia oxidation process in which ammonia or its organic amine is oxidized into hydroxylamine and then directly converted to N gas without the involvement of nitrite and nitrate. As demonstrated with Alcaligenes species, the conversion of ammonia to hydroxylamine is mediated by the dnf genes, and hydroxylamine conversion to N is considered both a biotic and abiotic process. Dirammox is different from the N-producing processes of nitrification-denitrification and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox), in which nitrite or nitrate is involved. Here, we review the discovery of dirammox, progress toward understanding its genetics, biochemistry, physiology, and ecology, and future perspectives and directions.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2024.102565 | DOI Listing |
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