Synthetic Nitrogen Fixation

Dear Colleagues,

Biological nitrogen fixation, i.e., the conversion of N₂ to NH₃, is catalyzed by nitrogenase enzymes that are distributed in several bacteria (diazotrophs). Diazotrophs include symbiotic N2-fixing rhizobia associated with legumes and non-symbiotic N₂-fixing bacteria. Legumes can form symbiotic root nodules with rhizobia that secure nitrogen for growth. On the other hand, the growth and production of many crop plants, such as cereals, rely heavily on the application of chemical fertilizers. Engineering biological nitrogen fixation into crops to make crops fix their own N is a longstanding goal. This could be achieved either by engineering the legume symbiosis into cereals or by transferring nif (nitrogen fixation) genes to plants. Transferring native and refactored nif genes to non-diazotrophs has been attempted in model bacteria, yeast, and plants.

This Special Issue is dedicated to all aspects of biological nitrogen fixation research with special emphasis on:

• engineering nitrogen fixation into bacteria, yeast, and plants;
• the structure and function of nitrogenase;
• the regulation of nif (nitrogen fixation) gene expression;
• the regulation of root nodule development;
• the interaction between plants with N₂-fixing bacteria.

As Guest Editors of the Special Issue, we invite you to submit research articles, review articles, and short communications related to recent advances in biological nitrogen fixation research.

Prof. Dr. Sanfeng Chen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• biological nitrogen fixation
• nitrogenase
• diazotrophs
• synthetic nitrogen fixation
• biotechnology
• gene expression regulation
• interaction between plants and Rhizobium