Yeast can make glutamate and use nitrogen in different ways when the key enzyme is missing. The researchers studied how yeast without this enzyme can still grow on different nitrogen sources. They found that yeast can use different pathways to make glutamate and get nitrogen, depending on the nitrogen source available. On some sources, one pathway is more important, while on others, both pathways are needed. This shows that yeast can adapt and use different ways to get the nutrients they need when their usual pathway is blocked.