Polyamine Metabolism and Nitrogen Regulation in Microbial Physiology and Pathogenesis

Polyamine metabolism and nitrogen regulation are central themes in microbial physiology, underpinning the adaptation and survival of bacteria and related microorganisms in shifting environments. Nitrogen serves as a building block in primary metabolism and provides crucial precursors in secondary metabolism. Diverse microbes have evolved mechanisms to extract nitrogen from various sources, including ammonium, amino acids, urea, and polyamines, adapting to both abundance and limitation through sophisticated metabolic and regulatory strategies. Traditionally, research has identified conserved nitrogen assimilation pathways and regulatory enzymes such as glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase, but many unanswered questions remain about the full complexity of these networks and their responses to environmental changes and cellular stress.

In recent years, the integration of genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics has revealed new aspects of nitrogen regulation and polyamine metabolism in diverse microbial systems. The application of AI-assisted modeling and systems biology now enables prediction of metabolic fluxes and discovery of novel enzymes and regulatory networks involved in nitrogen turnover. These interdisciplinary insights open avenues for microbial engineering, bioremediation, and antimicrobial development. Knowledge gaps remain regarding the genetic determinants, epigenetic influences, and systems interactions that define nitrogen homeostasis, especially in pathogens and environmentally relevant microbes.

This Research Topic aims to advance molecular, genetic, and systems-level insights into the regulation, metabolism, and degradation of polyamines and nitrogen-containing compounds in microorganisms. We especially encourage submissions that apply integrative genomics, systems biology, and AI/computational approaches to dissect regulation, model networks, predict metabolic pathways, and engineer microbial functions. Contributions should remain focused on bacteria and other microbes, only extending to plant or human contexts when directly relevant to microbial metabolism, interaction, or pathogenesis. To gather further insights within these boundaries, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Molecular mechanisms of nitrogen metabolism regulation (including synthesis, catabolism, and transport)
- Genomic, transcriptomic, or systems-level studies of nitrogen compound utilization
- AI, computational biology, and systems modeling of nitrogen and polyamine metabolism
- Nitrogen regulation in microbial pathogens, symbionts, and environmental isolates
- Roles of polyamine and nitrogen metabolism in microbial adaptation, stress resilience, and pathogenesis
- Discovery of novel enzymes, regulatory factors, and pathways through high-throughput or multi-omics approaches

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: nitrogen metabolism, nitrogen assimilation, mono- and polyamine metabolism, nitrogen fixation and symbiotic interactions, drug discovery and drug targets

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.