Nitrogen assimilation and amino acid biosynthesis are essential metabolic processes. Nitrogen is incorporated into amino acids through the nitrogen cycle and nitrogenase, with nitrate and nitrite being reduced to ammonia. Ammonia is then assimilated into glutamate by glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase in bacteria, and glutamine can be converted back to glutamate. Glutamate serves as the primary nitrogen donor for amino acid synthesis through transamination reactions involving pyridoxolphosphate. Amino acid biosynthesis involves both essential and non-essential amino acids through diverse pathways.

2. Amino Acid Metabolism:
Nitrogen Assimilation
and Amino Acid Biosynthesis

3. Nitrogen Cycle

4. Nitrogenase

5. Nitrate and Nitrite to Ammonia

6. Ammonia Assimilation

8. Glutamate Dehydrogenase

9. Glutamine Synthetase (GS)

10. Glutamine back to Glutamate

11. Allosteric Modulation of GS Acitivity in Bacteria

12. Regulation of Bacterial GS by Covalent Modification

14. Glutamate serves as primary N- donor for AA
synthesis through transamination reactions

15. Transamination rxns involve Pyridoxolphosphate and formation of Schiff Base

16. Essential vs. Non-Essential AA’s

17. Amino Acid Biosynthesis is a
Diverse Process