A novel plasmid recombination mechanism of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7002.

We describe a novel mechanism of site-specific recombination in the unicellular marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7002. The specific recombination sites on the smallest plasmid pAQ1 were localized by studying the properties of pAQ1-derived shuttle-vectors. We found that a palindromic element, the core sequence of which is G(G/A)CGATCGCC, functions as a resolution site for site-specific plasmid recombination. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis analysis of the element show that the site-specific recombination in the cyanobacterium requires sequence specificity, symmetry in the core sequence and, in part, the spacing between the elements. Interestingly, this element is over-represented not only in pAQ1 and in the genome of the cyanobacterium, but also in the accumulated cyanobacterial sequences from Synechococcus sp. PCC6301, PCC7942, vulcanus and Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 within GenBank and EMBL databases. Thus, these findings strongly suggest that the site-specific recombination mechanism based on the palindromic element should be common in these cyanobacteria.     

Nucleotide Sequence of Plasmid pAQ1 of Marine Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7002

We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of pAQ1,the smallest plasmid of the unicellular marine cyanobacteriumSynechococcus sp. PCC7002. The plasmid consists of 4,809 bpand has at least four open reading frames that potentially encodepolypeptides of 50 or more amino acids. We found that a palindromicelement, the core sequence of which is G(G/A)CGATCGCC, is over-representednot only in plasmid pAQ1 but also in the accumulated cyanobacterialgenomic sequences from Synechococcus sp. PCC6301, PCC7002, PCC7942,vulcanus and Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 within GenBank and EMBLdatabases. It suggests that this sequence might mediate generearrangement, thus increasing genetic diversity, since recombinationevents are frequent in cyanobacteria.     

转小鼠金属硫蛋白-Ⅰ基因聚球藻7002的生长潜力分析

以野生聚球藻7002为对照,从室温吸收光谱、光合放氧速率、生长动力学参数以及气升式光生物反应器中的生长特性阐述了转小鼠金属硫蛋白-Ⅰ基因聚球藻7002的生长优势和培养潜力.结果表明:转MT聚球藻室温可见光光谱吸收峰比野生藻略高;最大净光合速率和饱和光强比野生藻高,呼吸速率和补偿光强比野生藻低;转MT聚球藻摇瓶培养的最大细胞浓度为野生藻的1.74倍,具有较高的细胞生长速率;气升式光生物反应器有利于转MT基因聚球藻生长潜力的发挥.     

蓝藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7942穿梭表达质粒的构建及胸腺素α1基因的表达

利用本实验室构建的含蓝藻Plectonema boryanum内源小质粒的穿梭质粒pPRS-1,改建成含热诱导启动子、泛素融合的胸腺素α1（UB-Tα1）目的基因、卡那霉素抗性选择标记、rbcS终止子的新的穿梭表达重组质粒pPREUT。将这种重组质粒转化蓝藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7942,通过抗性筛选获得了具卡那霉素抗性的转化藻株。经Southern-blot杂交证实,穿梭表达质粒已转入蓝藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7942细胞中,在42℃热诱导30min后,目的基因UB－Tα1得到较高水平表达,表达量约占总蛋白量的7．5％。     

人表皮生长因子（hEGF）基因在蓝藻中的表达

人表皮生长因子（hEGF)是由53个氨基酸组成的蛋白,在临床上内服与外敷可促进内外表皮细胞的生长。将人工合成的hEGF基因连接到质粒pRL-489上,位于启动子psb下游。验证连接成功后,用三亲接合转移方法将载体pRL-hEGF导入聚球藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7002和鱼腥藻Anabeana sp.PCC7120。由于pRL-hEGF没有能在单细胞蓝藻中自主复制的复制子,通过筛选,hEGF在聚球藻7002中是整合到蓝藻染色体上进行表达的。用PCR扩增的方法在两种转基因藻中均检测到hEGF基因的存在。放射免疫分析证明,hEGF基因在两种转基因藻中均得到了表达。而且,在聚球藻7002中是采用分泌形式将表达产物分泌到培养液中。     

The heat shock protein ClpB mediates the development of thermotolerance in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942.

The heat shock protein CIpB (HSP100) is a member of the diverse group of Clp polypeptides that function as molecular chaperones and/or regulators of energy-dependent proteolysis. A single-copy gene coding for a ClpB homolog was cloned and sequenced from the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942. The predicted polypeptide sequence was most similar to sequences of cytosolic ClpB from bacteria and higher plants (i.e., 70 to 75%). Inactivation of clpB in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 resulted in no significant differences from the wild-type phenotype under optimal growth conditions. In the wild type, two forms of ClpB were induced during temperature shifts from 37 to 47.5 or 50 degrees C, one of 92 kDa, which matched the predicted size, and another smaller protein of 78 kDa. Both proteins were absent in the delta clpB strain. The level of induction of the two ClpB forms in the wild type increased with increasingly higher temperatures, while the level of the constitutive ClpC protein remained unchanged. In the delta clpB strain, however, the ClpC content almost doubled during the heating period, presumably to compensate for the loss of ClpB activity. Photosynthetic measurements at 47.5 and 50 degrees C showed that the null mutant was no more susceptible to thermal inactivation than the wild type. Using photosynthesis as a metabolic indicator, an assay was developed for Synechococcus spp. to determine the importance of ClpB for acquired thermotolerance. Complete inactivation of photosynthetic oxygen evolution occurred in both the wild type and the delta clpB strain when they were shifted from 37 directly to 55 degrees C for 10 min. By preexposing the cells at 50 degrees C for 1.5 h, however, a significant level of photosynthesis was retained in the wild type but not in the mutant after the treatment at 55 degrees C for 10 min. Cell survival determinations confirmed that the loss of ClpB synthesis caused a fivefold reduction in the ability of Synechococcus cells to develop thermotolerance. These results clearly show that induction of ClpB at high temperatures is vital for sustained thermotolerance in Synechococcus spp., the first such example for either a photosynthetic or a prokaryotic organism.     

聚球藻7002嗜铁素的检测与分离

【目的】探究聚球藻7002嗜铁素的检测和分离方法,为深入研究海洋嗜铁素提供科学依据。【方法】在缺铁MediumA中培养聚球藻7002,利用双层平板法、混合平板法和传统铬天青S(CAS)平板法定性检测嗜铁素,用CAS蓝色液体检测液定量检测嗜铁素。采用大孔树脂XAD-2和固定化金属离子亲和层析(IMAC)对嗜铁素进行分离,IMAC采用降低pH和竞争性洗脱两种洗脱方式。【结果】混合平板定性检测法更快速、高效、便捷。缺铁培养的聚球藻7002发酵液中,嗜铁素的相对含量高达93.50%。大孔树脂分离,上样液pH调为2.0时,嗜铁素吸附充分,分离效果较好。试验发现,分离得到的聚球藻7002嗜铁素在254nm紫外下具有明显的荧光特性。【结论】试验得到了聚球藻7002嗜铁素定性检测和分离的有效方法。     

The solution structure of photosystem I accessory protein E from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain PCC 8009.

PsaE is a small basic subunit located on the stromal (cytoplasmic) side of photosystem I. In cyanobacteria, this subunit participates in cyclic electron transport and modulates the interactions of the complex with soluble ferredoxin. The PsaE protein isolated from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 adopts the beta topology of an SH3 domain, with five beta strands (betaA through betaE) and a turn of 3(10) helix between strands betaD and betaE [Falzone, C. J., Kao, Y.-H., Zhao, J., Bryant, D. A., and Lecomte, J. T. J. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 6052-6062]. The primary structure of the PsaE protein is strongly conserved across all oxygen-evolving photosynthetic organisms. However, variability in loop lengths, as well as N- or C-terminal extensions, suggests that the structure of a second representative PsaE subunit would be useful to characterize the interactions among photosystem I polypeptides. In this work, the solution structure of PsaE from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain PCC 8009 was determined by NMR methods. Compared to PsaE from Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002, this PsaE has a seven-residue deletion in the loop connecting strands betaC and betaD, and an eight-residue C-terminal extension. Angular and distance restraints derived from homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR experiments were used to calculate structures by a distance-geometry/simulated-annealing protocol. A family of 20 structures (rmsd of 0.24 A in the regular secondary structure) is presented. Differences between the two cyanobacterial proteins are mostly confined to the CD loop region; the C-terminal extension is disordered. The thermodynamic stability of Nostoc sp. strain PCC 8009 PsaE toward urea denaturation was measured by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, and thermal denaturation was monitored by UV absorption spectroscopy. Chemical and thermal denaturation curves are modeled satisfactorily with two-state processes. The DeltaG degrees of unfolding at room temperature is 12.4 +/- 0.3 kJ mol(-1) (pH 5), and the thermal transition midpoint is 59 +/- 1 degrees C (pH 7). Interactions with other proteins in the photosystem I complex may aid in maintaining PsaE in its native state under physiological conditions.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the recA gene from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002.

The recA gene of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 was detected and cloned from a lambda gtwes genomic library by heterologous hybridization by using a gene-internal fragment of the Escherichia coli recA gene as the probe. The gene encodes a 38-kilodalton polypeptide which is antigenically related to the RecA protein of E. coli. The nucleotide sequence of a portion of the gene was determined. The translation of this region was 55% homologous to the E. coli protein; allowances for conservative amino acid replacements yield a homology value of about 74%. The cyanobacterial recA gene product was proficient in restoring homologous recombination and partial resistance to UV irradiation to recA mutants of E. coli. Heterologous hybridization experiments, in which the Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 recA gene was used as the probe, indicate that a homologous gene is probably present in all cyanobacterial strains.     

细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂Roscovitine对3种蓝藻生长和活性的影响

为了明确蓝藻中丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶的功能是否与调控细胞的生长分裂相关,以丝状鱼腥藻7120、单细胞集胞藻6803和聚球藻7002为对象,利用OD750光吸收测定和MTT方法研究了不同浓度丝氨酸苏氨酸激酶抑制剂roscovitine对其生长和脱氢酶活性的影响。结果表明:4 h roscovitine处理后对鱼腥藻7120和集胞藻6803生长量影响不大,对聚球藻7002的生长有促进作用。4 h roscovitine的处理对鱼腥藻7120有浓度依赖的显著抑制活性,对集胞藻6803的活性无影响,但是却促进聚球藻7002的活性。药物作用4 d后,7120的生长和活性均显著降低,并有浓度效应;6803的生长量较对照减少,但活性变化不明显;聚球藻7002的生长和活性均未受影响。显微观察结果显示,roscovitine对3种细胞形态没有影响,但药物作用4 d后的7120藻丝体较短。结果表明丝氨酸/苏氨酸抑制剂roscovitine影响丝状藻7120的生长和活性。     

Effects of modified Phycobilin biosynthesis in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 7002

The pathway for phycocyanobilin biosynthesis in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 comprises two enzymes: heme oxygenase and phycocyanobilin synthase (PcyA). The phycobilin content of cells can be modified by overexpressing genes encoding alternative enzymes for biliverdin reduction. Overexpression of the pebAB and HY2 genes, encoding alternative ferredoxin-dependent biliverdin reductases, caused unique effects due to the overproduction of phycoerythrobilin and phytochromobilin, respectively. Colonies overexpressing pebAB became reddish brown and visually resembled strains that naturally produce phycoerythrin. This was almost exclusively due to the replacement of phycocyanobilin by phycoerythrobilin on the phycocyanin α-subunit. This phenotype was unstable, and such strains rapidly reverted to the wild-type appearance, presumably due to strong selective pressure to inactivate pebAB expression. Overproduction of phytochromobilin, synthesized by the Arabidopsis thaliana HY2 product, was tolerated much better. Cells overexpressing HY2 were only slightly less pigmented and blue-green than the wild type. Although the pcyA gene could not be inactivated in the wild type, pcyA was easily inactivated when cells expressed HY2. These results indicate that phytochromobilin can functionally substitute for phycocyanobilin in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002. Although functional phycobilisomes were assembled in this strain, the overall phycobiliprotein content of cells was lower, the efficiency of energy transfer by these phycobilisomes was lower than for wild-type phycobilisomes, and the absorption cross-section of the cells was reduced relative to that of the wild type because of an increased spectral overlap of the modified phycobiliproteins with chlorophyll a. As a result, the strain producing phycobiliproteins carrying phytochromobilin grew much more slowly at low light intensity.     

Modular synthase-encoding gene involved in α-olefin biosynthesis in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002

A gene involved in the production of medium-chain α-olefins was identified in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002. The gene encodes a large multidomain protein with homology to type I polyketide synthases, suggesting a route for hydrocarbon biosynthesis from fatty acids via an elongation decarboxylation mechanism.     

Induction of the heat shock protein ClpB affects cold acclimation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942.

The heat shock protein ClpB is essential for acquired thermotolerance in cyanobacteria and eukaryotes and belongs to a diverse group of polypeptides which function as molecular chaperones. In this study we show that ClpB is also strongly induced during moderate cold stress in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942. A fivefold increase in ClpB (92 kDa) content occurred when cells were acclimated to 25 degrees C over 24 h after being shifted from the optimal growth temperature of 37 degrees C. A corresponding increase occurred for the smaller ClpB' (78 kDa), which arises from a second translational start within the clpB gene of prokaryotes. Shifts to more extreme cold (i.e., 20 and 15 degrees C) progressively decreased the level of ClpB induction, presumably due to retardation of protein synthesis within this relatively cold-sensitive strain. Inactivation of clpB in Synechococcus sp. increased the extent of inhibition of photosynthesis upon the shift to 25 degrees C and markedly reduced the mutant's ability to acclimate to the new temperature regime, with a threefold drop in growth rate. Furthermore, around 30% fewer delta clpB cells survived the shift to 25 degrees C after 24 h compared to the wild type, and more of the mutant cells were also arrested during cell division at 25 degrees C, remaining attached after septum formation. Development of a cold thermotolerance assay based on cell survival clearly demonstrated that wild-type cells could acquire substantial resistance to the nonpermissive temperature of 15 degrees C by being pre-exposed to 25 degrees C. The same level of cold thermotolerance, however, occurred in the delta clpB strain, indicating ClpB induction is not necessary for this form of thermal resistance in Synechococcus spp. Overall, our results demonstrate that the induction of ClpB contributes significantly to the acclimation process of cyanobacteria to permissive low temperatures.     

Physical genome map of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002.

A physical restriction map of the genome of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 was assembled from AscI, NotI, SalI, and SfiI digests of intact genomic DNA separated on a contour-clamped homogeneous electric field pulsed-field gel electrophoresis system. An average genome size of 2.7 x 10(6) bp was calculated from 21 NotI, 37 SalI, or 27 SfiI fragments obtained by the digestions. The genomic map was assembled by using three different strategies: linking clone analysis, pulsed-field fragment hybridization, and individual clone hybridization to singly and doubly restriction-digested large DNA fragments. The relative positions of 21 genes or operons were determined, and these data suggest that the gene order is not highly conserved between Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 and Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.     

Functional expression of plastid allophycocyanin genes in a cyanobacterium.

In Cyanophora paradoxa, the allophycocyanin apoprotein subunits, alpha and beta, are encoded in the cyanelle (plastid) genome. These genes were transferred to the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 on a plasmid replicon. Phycobilisomes isolated from transformed cyanobacteria were found to contain C. paradoxa allophycocyanin subunits. Thus, these plastid genes are expressed in the cyanobacterium as polypeptides which become linked to a chromophore and are incorporated into the light-harvesting apparatus.     

Phycobiliprotein methylation. Effect of the gamma-N-methylasparagine residue on energy transfer in phycocyanin and the phycobilisome

The phycobiliproteins contain a conserved unique modified residue, gamma-N-methylasparagine at beta-72. This study examines the consequences of this methylation for the structure and function of phycocyanin and of phycobilisomes. An assay for the protein asparagine methylase activity was developed using [methyl-3H]S-adenosylmethionine and apophycocyanin purified from Escherichia coli containing the genes for the alpha and beta subunits of phycocyanin from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 as substrates. This assay permitted the partial purification, from Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301, of the activity that methylates phycocyanin and allophycocyanin completely at residue beta-72. Using the methylase assay, two independent nitrosoguanidine-induced mutants of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 were isolated that do not exhibit detectable phycobiliprotein methylase activity. These mutants, designated pcm 1 and pcm 2, produce phycocyanin and allophycocyanin unmethylated at beta-72. The phycobiliproteins in these mutants are assembled into phycobilisomes and can be methylated in vitro by the partially purified methylase from Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301. The mutants produce phycobiliproteins in amounts comparable to those of wild-type and the mutant and wild-type phycocyanins are equivalent with respect to thermal stability profiles. Monomeric phycocyanins purified from these strains show small spectral shifts that correlate with the level of methylation. Phycobilisomes from the mutant strains exhibit defects in energy transfer, both in vivo and in vitro, that are also correlated with deficiencies in methylation. Unmethylated or undermethylated phycobilisomes show greater emission from phycocyanin and allophycocyanin and lower fluorescence emission quantum yields than do fully methylated particles. The results support the conclusion that the site-specific methylation of phycobiliproteins contributes significantly to the efficiency of directional energy transfer in the phycobilisome.