水稻胞质FBA基因在鱼腥藻7120中的表达及其对光合作用的调控

光合作用包括了一系列复杂的反应,其中碳固定反应是光合作用调控的核心环节。果糖-1,6-二磷酸醛缩酶(FBA)是Calvin循环中固定CO₂后第一个催化三碳化合物转变为六碳化合物的酶,在光合作用中有着重要的作用。近年来,反义技术进一步地证明了FBA在加速碳固定反应方面有着非常大的潜力。本论文通过过表达技术来研究提高FBA活性是否能加速碳固定反应。将水稻胞质FBA嵌合基因转入鱼腥藻7120,通过相应的抗生素筛选及PCR鉴定后,确定得到了稳定遗传的转基因藻。对转基因藻和野生藻进行FBA活性及生理活性的测定后发现：转基因藻中FBA的活性比野生藻提高了31.2%;细胞生长速率比野生藻提高了24.4%;净光合与真实光合分别比野生藻提高了19.2% 和20.6%。以上结果证明,在鱼腥藻体内特异的提高非调控酶FBA的水平,能在一定程度上提高转基因藻的光合活性,并且能够提高转基因藻的细胞增长效率。为进一步研究FBA在光合碳流量中的调控机理提供实验依据。     

蛋白核小球藻生长和无机碳利用对不同光照强度和CO_2浓度的响应

为了探讨光照强度和CO_2浓度对蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)生长、无机碳利用的复合效应,丰富绿藻中无机碳浓缩机制的资料,该文设置两种光照强度(40和120μmol photons×m–2×s–1)和两种CO_2浓度(0.04%和0.16%)组合成4种条件,比较了蛋白核小球藻生长、无机碳浓度、pH补偿点、光合放氧速率、碳酸酐酶(CA)活性和α-CA基因转录表达对这4种培养条件的响应。结果发现:蛋白核小球藻在高光强高CO_2浓度组生长最快;低光强高CO_2浓度组培养体系中总无机碳浓度为1 163.3μmol×L–1,显著高于其他3组;高光强低CO_2浓度组藻的p H补偿点最高(9.8),而低光强高CO_2浓度组藻的p H补偿点最低(8.6);低光强高CO_2浓度组藻的最大光合速率(Vmax)和最大光合速率一半时的无机碳浓度(K0.5)最高,分别是其他3组的1.28-1.91倍和1.61-2.00倍;高光强低CO_2浓度组藻的胞外CA活性最高;而低光强低CO_2浓度组藻的胞外α-CA基因表达量显著高于其他3组。以上结果表明低CO_2浓度可促进蛋白核小球藻的pH补偿点和无机碳亲和力的提高,诱导胞外CA活性及α-CA基因的表达;该藻主要以HCO_3~–为无机碳源,其对无机碳的利用受光照的调节。     

蛋白核小球藻生长和无机碳利用对不同光照强度和CO2浓度的响应

为了探讨光照强度和CO₂浓度对蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)生长、无机碳利用的复合效应, 丰富绿藻中无机碳浓缩机制的资料, 该文设置两种光照强度(40和120 µmol photons•m^-2•s^-1)和两种CO₂浓度(0.04%和0.16%)组合成4种条件, 比较了蛋白核小球藻生长、无机碳浓度、pH补偿点、光合放氧速率、碳酸酐酶(CA)活性和α-CA基因转录表达对这4种培养条件的响应。结果发现: 蛋白核小球藻在高光强高CO₂浓度组生长最快; 低光强高CO₂浓度组培养体系中总无机碳浓度为1163.3 µmol•L^-1, 显著高于其他3组; 高光强低CO₂浓度组藻的pH补偿点最高(9.8), 而低光强高CO₂浓度组藻的pH补偿点最低(8.6); 低光强高CO₂浓度组藻的最大光合速率(V_max)和最大光合速率一半时的无机碳浓度(K_0.5)最高, 分别是其他3组的1.28-1.91倍和1.61-2.00倍; 高光强低CO₂浓度组藻的胞外CA活性最高; 而低光强低CO₂浓度组藻的胞外α-CA基因表达量显著高于其他3组。以上结果表明低CO₂浓度可促进蛋白核小球藻的pH补偿点和无机碳亲和力的提高, 诱导胞外CA活性及α-CA基因的表达; 该藻主要以HCO₃^-为无机碳源, 其对无机碳的利用受光照的调节。     

环境因子对转hGM-CSF基因鱼腥藻生长与光合的调节

以转hGM-CSF基因鱼腥藻7120为对象,分别探讨了温度、pH、光强等环境因子和外加碳、氮等基本营养源对转基因藻生长与光合活性的影响.结果表明:当基本环境因子为30℃、pH9.5和90μmol·m-2·s-1光强时,转基因藻生长最快.添加10mmol·L-1的NaHCO3或5g·L-1的葡萄糖对转基因藻的光合活性促进最大;但外加氮源却抑制了转基因藻的光合活性.     

盐度、温度和光照强度对针叶蕨藻的生长及光合活性的影响

为探究环境因子对针叶蕨藻（Caulerpa sertularioides）生长的影响,对不同盐度、温度和光照强度下针叶蕨藻的生长和叶绿素荧光参数进行了研究。结果表明：藻体日特定生长率（SGR）、最大光量子产量（F_v/F_m）、实际光合效率（Yield）、电子传递速率（ETR）和光化学淬灭（qP）随盐度升高呈先上升后下降的变化趋势,非光化学淬灭（qN）则呈相反的变化趋势,藻体光合活性和固碳效率在盐度27.5‰时达到最高,且与25‰和30‰盐度的差异显著（P<0.05,n=3）。藻体SGR、F_v/F_m、Yield、ETR和qP随温度升高而下降,qN则相反,藻体光合活性和固碳效率在26℃下达到最高,且与28℃和30℃的差异显著（P<0.05,n=3）。藻体的SGR、F_v/F_m、Yield、ETR和qP随光照强度升高呈先上升后下降的变化趋势,qN则相反,且在18.75 μmol/（m²·s）弱光照下出现轻微光抑制,藻体生长、光合活性及固碳效率在光照强度25.00 μmol/（m²·s）时达到最高,但与18.75和31.25 μmol/（m²·s）的差异不显著（P>0.05,n=3）。因此,针叶蕨藻在27.5‰盐度、26℃和25.00 μmol/（m²·s）光照强度下生长最快且光合作用能力最高。     

碳酸酐酶在中肋骨条藻光合作用中的作用

探讨了在正常空气条件下生长的中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)的碳酸酐酶(CA)在其光合固碳中的作用.在中肋骨条藻的胞内和胞外均有CA活性,但胞外CA活性很低.CA抑制剂AZ(乙酰唑磺胺)对中肋骨条藻的光合放氧速率没有明显影响,而CA抑制剂EZ(乙氧苯唑胺)对其光合放氧速率有强烈的抑制作用.EZ的抑制作用使细胞最大光合速率、饱和光强和无机碳亲和力下降,无机碳的补偿点和光呼吸提高,使强光下光抑制作用增强.这些结果表明:中肋骨条藻的胞外CA在其光合作用中所起的作用较小,而其胞内CA通过催化胞内碳库中的HCO-3快速转化成CO2,提高胞内CO2的有效供给,从而提高细胞光合固碳能力和对逆境(高O2、强光和低CO2)的适应能力.     

赤潮藻中肋骨条藻的光合作用对海水pH和N变化的响应

为探讨赤潮发生时中肋骨条藻 (Skeletonemacoatatum)的光合作用生理变化 ,研究了不同无机氮 (N)水平上 ,海水pH值升高对其胞外碳酸酐酶 (CA)和光合生理特性的影响。海水pH从 8.2升至 8.7时 ,中肋骨条藻胞外CA被诱导 ,细胞对无机碳的亲和力 (1/Km)提高 ;在pH8 7时 ,高N条件下的胞外CA活性是低N条件下的 3倍 ,1/Km 值也提高了 80 %。单位叶绿素a的最大净光合能力 (Pam)在不同pH和N水平上没有显著差异 ;但单位细胞的最大净光合能力 (Pcm)提高了 10 0 %。这些结果表明 ,赤潮发生时 ,中肋骨条藻通过启动无机碳浓缩机制 (CCM) ,提高细胞对无机碳利用效率 ,使其在低CO2 (高pH)环境下维持光合机构正常运行 ;充足的N源有利于提高CCM的效率 ,从而提高CO2 环境下的光合固碳能力。     

水华鱼腥藻生长与光合作用对大气CO2浓度升高的响应

 为了探讨大气CO2浓度升高对水华藻类的影响,利用水华鱼腥藻(Anabena flos_aquae)作为实验材料,研究了大气CO2浓度加倍对其生长和光合作用的影响,结果显示大气CO2浓度升高导致水华鱼腥藻的生物量、光饱和光合速率、光合效率和光系统II的光化学效率（Fv/Fm）明显提高,但对暗呼吸速率和光饱和点没有明显影响。CO2加倍条件下藻细胞光合作用对无机碳的亲和力降低,表明其利用HCO-3的能力受到抑制。     

华北平原冬小麦田土壤胞外/内酶活性对长期CO2浓度升高的响应

针对农田胞外和胞内酶活性响应CO₂浓度升高认识不足的现状,依托华北平原冬小麦种植区北京昌平试验站长期开放式CO₂富集平台,设置常规和升高两组CO₂浓度处理,研究冬小麦田土壤胞外和胞内酶活性的变化及影响因素。结果表明:CO₂浓度升高促进胞外碳获取酶活性,不影响胞外氮获取酶活性以及全部胞内酶活性。通过量化碳、氮获取酶的胞外胞内比发现,CO₂浓度升高在冬小麦成熟期增强了碳获取酶胞外胞内比,但降低了氮获取酶胞外胞内比。胞外碳、氮获取酶活性都与土壤pH值呈负相关;而胞内碳获取酶活性与土壤含水量正相关,胞内氮获取酶活性与微生物生物量负相关。CO₂浓度升高导致上述大部分酶活性变化驱动因素的作用消失,仅存在土壤全氮与胞内碳获取酶活性负相关。研究结果强调了对胞内酶开展研究的重要性,为理解土壤过程对全球变化因素的响应提供了新见解。     

转基因鱼腥藻中hTNF-α基因表达与光合作用间的相关性研究

分析了培养光强对转基因鱼腥藻生长和hTNF-α基因表达的影响,以及转基因鱼腥藻IB02的光合放氧活性、光系统Ⅰ及光系统Ⅱ活性。发现光强对转基因鱼腥藻IB02的生长和hTNF-α基因表达都有促进;hTNF-α基因在鱼腥藻中的表达率与真正光合、光系统Ⅰ和光系统Ⅱ活性存在一定的联系。hTNF-α基因表达同时对宿主的光合放氧特性也产生了显著的影响,与正对照相比转基因藻光呼吸速率增强68%,饱和点降低66%,说明转基因鱼腥藻的代谢负荷增加,并在低光强下生长比野生型快。     

Inorganic carbon acquisition in red tide dinoflagellates

Carbon acquisition was investigated in three marine bloom-forming dinollagellates-Prorocentrum minimum, Heterocapsa triquetra and Ceratium lineatum. In vivo activities of extracellular and intracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA), photosynthetic O2 evolution, CO2 and HCO3- uptake rates were measured by membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) in cells acclimated to low pH (8.0) and high pH (8.5 or 9.1). A second approach used short-term 14C-disequilibrium incubations to estimate the carbon source utilized by the cells. All three species showed negligible extracellular CA (eCA) activity in cells acclimated to low pH and only slightly higher activity when acclimated to high pH. Intracellular CA (iCA) activity was present in all three species, but it increased only in P. minimum with increasing pH. Half-saturation concentrations (K1/2) for photosynthetic O2 evolution were low compared to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) kinetics. Moreover, apparent affinities for inorganic carbon (Ci) increased with increasing pH in the acclimation, indicating the operation of an efficient CO2 concentration mechanism (CCM) in these dinoflagellates. Rates of CO2 uptake were comparably low and could not support the observed rates of photosynthesis. Consequently, rates of HCO3- uptake were high in the investigated species, contributing more than 80% of the photosynthetic carbon fixation. The affinity for HCO3- and maximum uptake rates increased under higher pH. The strong preference for HCO3- was also confirmed by the 14C-disequilibrium technique. Modes of carbon acquisition were consistent with the 13C-fractionation pattern observed and indicated a strong species-specific difference in leakage. These results suggest that photosynthesis in marine dinoflagellates is not limited by Ci even at high pH, which may occur during red tides in coastal waters.     

干出和沉水不同条件下羊栖菜光合作用碳源获得机制比较(英文)

经济海洋褐藻羊栖菜(Hizikia fusiforme(Harv.)Okamura)低潮时常常周期性地暴露于空气中。为了认识这种海藻在潮汐循环背景下的光合特征,对其在高潮沉水和低潮干出不同条件下的光合作用碳素获得机制进行了比较。沉水时,羊栖菜主要利用海水中HCO_3~-作为外源无机碳源驱动光合作用;而在干出条件下,其光合作用的主要碳源为空气中的CO_2。在这两种不同环境条件下,光合作用与pH值的关系不同:沉水状态时,羊栖菜在高pH值(10.0)下光合活性很弱;而在干出条件下,羊栖菜在高pH值时仍有较高的光合活性。然而,光合作用无论是在沉水还是在干出条件下,对外源碳源的获得都表现出对胞外碳酸酐酶(CA)强烈的依赖性,并且其光合速率都受周围环境中无机碳源水平的限制。此外,在沉水和干出两种环境条件下,羊栖菜光合作用都表现出对氧气的敏感性。这表明,在羊栖菜中,依赖胞外CA的碳源获得机制不能使细胞内CO_2浓度提高到阻碍其光呼吸的程度。增加空气中或海水中无机碳的浓度,能促进羊栖菜的光合作用,进而增加这种海藻的水产养殖产量。     

Characterization of a mutant lacking carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803

A fully-segregated mutant (ccaA::kanR) defective in the ccaA gene, encoding a carboxysome-associated beta-carbonic anhydrase (CA), was generated in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 by insertional mutagenesis. Immunoblot analysis indicated that the CcaA polypeptide was absent from the carboxysome-enriched fraction obtained from ccaA::kanR, but was present in wild-type (WT) cells. The carboxysome-enriched fraction isolated from WT cells catalyzed 18O exchange between 13C18O2 and H2O, indicative of CA activity, while ccaA::kanR carboxysomes did not. Transmission and immunogold electron microscopy revealed that carboxysomes of WT and ccaA::kanR were of similar size, shape and cellular distribution, and contained most of the cellular complement of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). The ccaA::kanR cells were substantially smaller than WT and were unable to grow autotrophically at air levels of CO2. However, cell division occurred at near-WT rates when ccaA::kanR was supplied with 5% CO2 (v/v) in air. The apparent photosynthetic affinity of the mutant for inorganic carbon (Ci) was 500-fold lower than that of WT cells although intracellular Ci accumulation was comparable to WT measurements. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that the CA-like activity associated with the active CO2 transport system was retained by ccaA::kanR cells and was inhibited by H2S, indicating that CO2 transport was distinct from the CcaA-mediated dehydration of intracellular HCO3-. The data suggest that the ccaA mutant was unable to efficiently utilize the internal Ci pool for carbon fixation and that the high-CO2-requiring phenotype of ccaA::kanR was due primarily to an inability to generate enough CO2 in the carboxysomes to sustain normal rates of photosynthesis.     

Cross-talk between photomixotrophic growth and CO(2) -concentrating mechanism in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803

Simultaneous catabolic and anabolic glucose metabolism occurs in the same compartment during photomixotrophic growth of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The presence of glucose is stressful to the cells; it is reflected in the high frequency of suppression mutations in glucose-sensitive mutants. We show that glucose affects many cellular processes. It stimulates respiration and the rate of photosynthesis and quantum yield in low- but not high-CO(2) -grown cells. Fluorescence and thermoluminescence parameters of photosystem II are also affected but the results did not lend support to sustained glucose driven over reduction in the light. Glucose-sensitive mutants such as ΔpmgA (impaired in photomixotrophic growth) and Δhik31 (lacking histidine kinase 31) are far more susceptible under high than low air level of CO(2) . A glycine to tryptophan mutation in position 354 in NdhF3, involved in the high-affinity CO(2) uptake, rescued ΔpmgA. A rise in the apparent photosynthetic affinity to external inorganic carbon is observed in high-CO(2) -grown wild-type cells after the addition of glucose, but not in mutant ΔpmgA. This is attributed to upregulation of certain low-CO(2) -induced genes, involved in inorganic carbon uptake, in the wild type but not in ΔpmgA. These data uncovered a new level of interaction between CO(2) fixation (and the CO(2) -concentrating mechanism) and photomixotrophic growth in cyanobacteria.     

The effects of severe carbon limitation on the green seaweed,Ulva conglobata (Chlorophyta)

Low inorganic carbon (Ci) concentrations in seawater are usually an important factor controlling photosynthesis and growth of seaweeds. The green seaweed, Ulva conglobata Kjellm, collected from a rock pool in a middle intertidal zone located at Nanao Island, Shantou, China, were cultured under low Ci level for several days, to examine the effect of severe carbon limitation on photosynthesis. The rather high pH compensation points obtained from the pH-drift experiments indicated that U. conglobata was capable of acquiring HCO₃ ^? from surrounding seawater as its Ci source for photosynthesis. However, thalli of U. conglobata cultured in Ci-starved seawater exhibited a decline of biomass, showing that the realistic photosynthetic carbon gain could not compensate for the respiratory carbon consumption in the thalli under severe Ci limitation during laboratory culture. Compared with ambient Ci conditions, the culture under severe Ci limitation significantly had an increased pigment content, but a lower maximum quantum yield and photosynthetic electron transport rate. Additionally, the maximum carbon-saturating photosynthesis rate and the apparent photosynthetic conductance of U. conglobata thalli increased in cultures with severe Ci limitation compared with ambient Ci in low N-grown thalli. The results suggest that under severe Ci limitation, U. conglobata thalli increased capacities of both light absorption processes and carbon fixation pathways.     

Effects of carbon nutrition on the physiological expression of HCO<Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>–</Superscript> transport and the CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-concentrating mechanism in the cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorogloeopsis</Emphasis> sp. ATCC 27193

We have examined the effect of inorganic and organic carbon nutrition on the physiological expression of HCO3- transport and the CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) in the nutritionally versatile cyanobacterium Chlorogloeopsis sp. ATCC 27193. Cells grown under photoautotrophic conditions in the presence of limiting or replete levels of inorganic carbon (Ci), or grown under mixotrophic (light) or chemoheterotrophic (dark) conditions in the presence of sucrose retained both active CO2 and Na(+)-independent HCO3- transport activity. However, two distinct effects on the kinetic properties of HCO3- transport were observed, which segregated on the basis of phototrophic and chemoheterotrophic growth in the dark. In the former, the apparent substrate affinity of the HCO3- transport system (K0.5) varied (12-fold) in response to the growth Ci or mixotrophy while the maximum rate of HCO3- transport was approximately constant. In the latter case, the K0.5 value was unchanged from the starting value (35 microM) of Ci-limited photoautotrophic cells used to initiate the dark-grown cultures, but transport capacity declined 3-fold. Modulation of the K0.5 (HCO3- transport) value required light. Cellular carboxysome content was unaffected by growth under any of the regimes employed and these structures were the predominant location of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, as indicated by immunogold electron microscopy. Mixotrophic and chemoheterotrophic growth resulted in a diminished ability to concentrate Ci internally and a reduction in Ci accumulation ratios at low external Ci concentrations. The relationship between photosynthetic carbon fixation and the internal Ci pool varied by 2-fold, with high-Ci-grown cells being the most efficient and mixotrophically grown cells the least, indicating that there was limited capacity to modulate this relationship in response to changes in carbon nutrition. Within broad limits this relationship appeared to be a fixed trait of the strain and an important factor in determining growth rate.     

Increased fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase in plastids enhances growth and photosynthesis of tobacco plants

The Calvin cycle is the initial pathway of photosynthetic carbon fixation, and several of its reaction steps are suggested to exert rate-limiting influence on the growth of higher plants. Plastid fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (aldolase, EC 4.1.2.13) is one of the nonregulated enzymes comprising the Calvin cycle and is predicted to have the potential to control photosynthetic carbon flux through the cycle. In order to investigate the effect of overexpression of aldolase, this study generated transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Xanthi) expressing Arabidopsis plastid aldolase. Resultant transgenic plants with 1.4-1.9-fold higher aldolase activities than those of wild-type plants showed enhanced growth, culminating in increased biomass, particularly under high CO? concentration (700 ppm) where the increase reached 2.2-fold relative to wild-type plants. This increase was associated with a 1.5-fold elevation of photosynthetic CO? fixation in the transgenic plants. The increased plastid aldolase resulted in a decrease in 3-phosphoglycerate and an increase in ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate and its immediate precursors in the Calvin cycle, but no significant changes in the activities of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) or other major enzymes of carbon assimilation. Taken together, these results suggest that aldolase overexpression stimulates ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regeneration and promotes CO? fixation. It was concluded that increased photosynthetic rate was responsible for enhanced growth and biomass yields of aldolase-overexpressing plants.     

High CO2 concentration alleviates the block in photosynthetic electron transport in an ndhB-inactivated mutant of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942.

The high-concentration CO2-requiring mutant N5 of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 was obtained by the insertion of a kanamycin-resistant gene at the EcoRI site, 12.4 kb upstream of rbc. The mutant is unable to accumulate inorganic carbon internally and exhibits very low apparent photosynthetic affinity for inorganic carbon but a photosynthetic Vmax similar to that of the wild type. Sequence and northern analyses showed that the insertion inactivated a gene highly homologous to ndhB, encoding subunit II of NADH dehydrogenase in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (T. Ogawa [1991] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88: 4275-4279). When the mutant and the wild-type cells were exposed to 5% CO2 in air, their photosynthetic electron transfer capabilities, as revealed by fluorescence and thermoluminescence measurements, were similar. On the other hand, a significant decrease in variable fluorescence was observed when the mutant (but not the wild-type) cells were exposed to low CO2 under continuous light. The same treatment also resulted in a shift (from 38-27 degrees C) in the temperature at which the maximal thermoluminescence emission signal was obtained in the mutant but not in the wild type. These results may indicate that subunit II of NADH dehydrogenase is essential for the functional operation of the photosynthetic electron transport in Synechococcus under low but not high levels of CO2. We suggest that the inability to accumulate inorganic carbon under air conditions stems from disrupture of electron transport in this mutant.     

Physiological characterization and light response of the CO2-concentrating mechanism in the filamentous cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. CPCC 696

We studied the interactions of the CO(2)-concentrating mechanism and variable light in the filamentous cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. CPCC 696 acclimated to low light (15 μmol m(-2) s(-1) PPFD) and low inorganic carbon (50 μM Ci). Mass spectrometric and polarographic analysis revealed that mediated CO(2) uptake along with both active Na(+)-independent and Na(+)-dependent HCO(3)(-) transport, likely through Na(+)/HCO(3)(-) symport, were employed to concentrate Ci internally. Combined transport of CO(2) and HCO(3)(-) required about 30 kJ mol(-1) of energy from photosynthetic electron transport to support an intracellular Ci accumulation 550-fold greater than the external Ci. Initially, Leptolyngbya rapidly induced oxygen evolution and Ci transport to reach 40-50% of maximum values by 50 μmol m(-2) s(-1) PPFD. Thereafter, photosynthesis and Ci transport increased gradually to saturation around 1,800 μmol m(-2) s(-1) PPFD. Leptolyngbya showed a low intrinsic susceptibility to photoinhibition of oxygen evolution up to PPFD of 3,000 μmol m(-2) s(-1). Intracellular Ci accumulation showed a lag under low light but then peaked at about 500 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1) and remained high thereafter. Ci influx was accompanied by a simultaneous, light-dependent, outward flux of CO(2) and by internal CO(2)/HCO(3)(-) cycling. The high-affinity and high-capacity CCM of Leptolyngbya responded dynamically to fluctuating PPFD and used excitation energy in excess of the needs of CO(2) fixation by increasing Ci transport, accumulation and Ci cycling. This capacity may allow Leptolyngbya to tolerate periodic exposure to excess high light by consuming electron equivalents and keeping PSII open.     

A cyanobacterial AbrB-like protein affects the apparent photosynthetic affinity for CO2 by modulating low-CO2-induced gene expression

In Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, over 450 genes are upregulated following transfer of the cells from a high (1–5% CO₂ in air, HC) to a low level of CO₂ (as in air or lower, LC). This includes sbtA , ndhF3 and cmpA involved in inorganic carbon (Ci) uptake. Earlier studies implicated NdhR in the regulation of LC-induced genes but there are indications that additional components are involved. Following extraction of proteins from cells grown under HC and (NH4)₂SO₄ fractionation, we have identified LexA and two AbrB-like proteins, Sll0359 and Sll0822, which bind to a fragment of the sbtA promoter. Using extracts prepared from LC-grown cells, Sll0822 did not bind to the sbtA promoter despite its presence in the cells, suggesting that it may serve as a repressor of LC-induced genes. This is supported by the fact that sbtA , ndhF3 and cmpA normally expressed only under LC in the wild-type are transcribed under both HC and LC in a Δ sll0822 mutant. When grown under HC this mutant exhibits an elevated apparent photosynthetic affinity to Ci, typically observed in the wild-type only under LC. Clearly, expression of genes essential for Ci uptake was sufficient to raise the apparent photosynthetic affinity for external Ci.