Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39871141›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2025

Exploring diazotrophic diversity: unveiling Nif core distribution and evolutionary patterns in nitrogen-fixing organisms.

Bruno Thiago de Lima Nichio, Roxana Beatriz Ribeiro Chaves, Fábio de Oliveira Pedrosa, Roberto Tadeu Raittz

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Article in BMC genomics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

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10citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Nitrogen-fixing microbes gain genes in diverse types of living environments.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Bruno Thiago de Lima NichioLaboratory of Artificial Intelligence Applied to Bioinformatics, Professional and Technical Education Sector - SEPT, UFPR, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Roxana Beatriz Ribeiro ChavesDepartment of Biochemistry, Biological Sciences Sector, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Fábio de Oliveira PedrosaLaboratory of Artificial Intelligence Applied to Bioinformatics, Professional and Technical Education Sector - SEPT, UFPR, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Roberto Tadeu RaittzLaboratory of Artificial Intelligence Applied to Bioinformatics, Professional and Technical Education Sector - SEPT, UFPR, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. raittz@ufpr.br.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiazotrophs carry out biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) using the nitrogenase enzyme complex (NEC), which relies on nitrogenase encoded by nif genes. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and gene duplications have created significant diversity among these genes, making it challenging to identify potential diazotrophs. Previous studies have established a minimal set of Nif proteins, known as the Nif core, which includes NifH, NifD, NifK, NifE, NifN, and NifB. This study aimed to identify potential diazotroph groups based on the Nif core and to analyze the inheritance patterns of accessory Nif proteins related to Mo-nitrogenase, along with their impact on N2 fixation maintenance.

resultsIn a systematic study, 118 diazotrophs were identified, resulting in a database of 2,156 Nif protein sequences obtained with RAFTS³G. Using this Nif database and a data mining strategy, we extended our analysis to 711 species and found that 544 contain the Nif core. A partial Nif core set was observed in eight species in this study. Finally, we cataloged 662 species with Nif core, of which 52 were novel. Our analysis generated 10,076 Nif proteins from these species and revealed some Nif core duplications. Additionally, we determined the optimal cluster value (k = 10) for analyzing diazotrophic diversity. Combining synteny and phylogenetic analyses revealed distinct syntenies in the nif gene composition across ten groups.

conclusionsThis study advances our understanding of the distribution of nif genes, aiding in the prediction and classification of N₂-fixing organisms. Furthermore, we present a comprehensive overview of the diversity, distribution, and evolutionary relationships among diazotrophic organisms associated with the Nif core. The analysis revealed the phylogenetic and functional organization of different groups, identifying synteny patterns and new nif gene arrangements across various bacterial and archaeal species.The identified groups serve as a valuable framework for further exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying biological nitrogen fixation and its evolutionary significance across different bacterial lineages.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsEvolution, MolecularNitrogen FixationGene Transfer, HorizontalNitrogenasePhylogenyBacterial ProteinsNitrogenaseDiazotrophic diversitynif core genesNitrogenaseRAFTS³GSWeeP

Identifiers

PMID39871141
PMCPMC11773926

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