Studies on the role of HtpG in the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

In cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, we observed that htpG-overexpression caused remarkable growth inhibition. In addition, subcellular fractionation experiments showed that HtpG was localized in the membrane fraction. To understand its function in cyanobacteria, we carried out yeast two-hybrid screening to identify specific proteins interacting with HtpG, and found out, HemE, uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase. When compared to the wild-type strain, the htpG-null mutant and -overexpressing strains exhibited higher and lower cytosolic HemE activity, based on the coproporphyrin production, respectively. These results strongly suggest that HtpG is involved in the regulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis through interacting with HemE protein.     

Interaction of the molecular chaperone HtpG with uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (HemE) is important due to its location at the first branch-point in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis. We detected a complex formation between full-length polypeptides of HtpG and HemE by biochemical studies in vivo and in vitro. The interaction suppressed the enzyme activity, suggesting a regulatory role of HtpG in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis.     

Carbonic Anhydrase Activity Associated with the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC7942

Intact cells and crude homogenates of high (1% CO₂) and low dissolved inorganic carbon (C_i) (30-50 microliters per liter of CO₂) grown Synechococcus PCC7942 have carbonic anhydrase (CA)-like activity, which enables them to catalyze the exchange of ¹⁸O from CO₂ to H₂O. This activity was studied using a mass spectrometer coupled to a cuvette with a membrane inlet system. Intact high and low C_i cells were found to contain CA activity, separated from the medium by a membrane which is preferentially permeable to CO₂. This activity is most apparent in the light, where ¹⁸O-labeled CO₂ species are being taken up by the cells but the effluxing CO₂ has lost most of its label to water. In the dark, low C_i cells catalyze the depletion of the ¹⁸O enrichment of CO₂ and this activity is inhibited by both ethoxyzolamide and 2-(trifluoromethoxy)carbonyl cyanide. This may occur via a common inhibition of the C_i pump and the C_i pump is proposed as a potential site for the exchange of ¹⁸O. CA activity was measurable in homogenates of both cell types but was 5- to 10-fold higher in low C_i cells. This was inhibited by ethoxyzolamide with an I₅₀ of 50 to 100 micromolar in both low and high C_i cells. A large proportion of the internal CA activity appears to be pelletable in nature. This pelletability is increased by the presence of Mg²⁺ in a manner similar to that of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase activity and chlorophyll (thylakoids) and may be the result of nonspecific aggregation. Separation of crude homogenates on sucrose gradients is consistent with the notion that CA and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase activity may be associated with the same pelletable fraction. However, we cannot unequivocally establish that CA is located within the carboxysome. The sucrose gradients show the presence of separate soluble and pelletable CA activity. This may be due to the presence of separate forms of the enzyme or may arise from the same pelletable association which is unstable during extraction.     

Exploration of a Possible Partnership among Orphan Two-Component System Proteins in Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

The unnatural long-chain OPCs, OPC-9:0 and OPC-10:0, were respectively synthesized from the ethyl esters of OPC-7:0 and OPC-8:0. C₂-carbon elongation was achieved via alkylation of the enolate of tert-butyl acetate. The potato tuber-inducing activity of OPC-10:0, as well as OPC-8:0, -6:0 and -4:0, was similar to that of jasmonic acid. OPC-9:0 also exhibited weak tuber-inducing activity.     

Exploration of a Possible Partnership among Orphan Two-Component System Proteins in Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

To understand the induction of the adaptive response under various stress conditions, it is important to determine the partnership between histidine kinase and response regulators in the bacterial two-component system (TCS). The genes encoding TCS partners are usually comprised of an operon in the genome, but many of them are orphans in the cyanobacterial genome. There is little information on their partnerships in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Our comprehensive analysis of protein-protein interactions among all 37 full-length proteins and the truncated domains of 24 orphans revealed a number of specific interactions. They involved evolutionarily well-conserved orphan proteins among cyanobacterial species such as Synpcc7942_0453/Ycf29, NblS/RpaB, NblS/SrrA, SasA/RpaA, and SasA/Synpcc7942_2466. Our investigation of the transphosphorylation of interaction partners indicates that orphan TCSs comprise a complex signaling network.     

High-Throughput Functional Analysis of the Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 Genome

Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 was the first cyanobacterialstrain to be reliably transformed by exogenously added DNA andhas become the model organism for cyanobacterial circadian rhythms.With a small genome (2.7 Mb) and well-developed genetic tools,PCC 7942 provides an exceptional opportunity to elucidate thecircadian mechanism through genetics. We describe a projectto create mutations in every locus of the genome, both to assayeach locus for its potential contribution to the circadian clockand to archive data for the cyanobacterial community. Cosmidclones that carry inserts of PCC 7942 DNA are saturated withtransposon insertions in vitro to provide sequencing templatesand substrates for mutagenesis of the PCC 7942 genome via homologousrecombination. We have mutagenized 53% of the chromosome from50 chromosome-bearing cosmids and identified the positions ofinsertions in 31 of those cosmids and the 46 kb plasmid, pANL.PCC 7942 mutants defective for 490 different genes have beenscreened for circadian phenotypes. Mutagenesis of three apparentlyessential loci, including clpPIIclpX, resulted in circadianphenotypes. We developed an effective antisense suppressionmethod to further the analysis of essential genes. When completed,the set of comprehensive mutations will provide the communitywith a unique resource whose impact will extend beyond circadianresearch.     

HtpG,the prokaryotic homologue of Hsp90, stabilizes a phycobilisome protein in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

HtpG, a homologue of HSP90, is essential for thermotolerance in cyanobacteria. It is not known how it plays this important role. We obtained evidence that HtpG interacts with linker polypeptides of phycobilisome in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. In an htpG mutant, the 30 kDa rod linker polypeptide was reduced. In vitro studies with purified HtpG and phycobilisome showed that HtpG interacts with the linker polypeptide as well as other linker polypeptides to suppress their thermal aggregation with a stoichiometry of one linker polypeptide/HtpG dimer. We constructed various domain‐truncated derivatives of HtpG to identify putative chaperone sites at which HtpG binds linker polypeptides. The middle domain and the N‐terminal domain, although less efficiently, prevented the aggregation of denatured polypeptides, while the C‐terminal domain did not. Truncation of the C‐terminal domain that is involved in the dimerization of HtpG led to decrease in the anti‐aggregation activity, while fusion of the N‐terminal domain to the middle domain lowered the activity. In vitro studies with HtpG and the isolated 30 kDa rod linker polypeptide provided basically similar results to those with HtpG and phycobilisome. ADP inhibited the anti‐aggregation activity, indicating that a compact ADP conformational state provides weaker aggregation protection compared with the others.     

Phosphate Uptake in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus R-2 PCC 7942

Phosphate uptake rates in Synechococcus R-2 in BG-11 media (anitrate-based medium, not phosphate limited) were measured usingcells grown semi-continuously and in continuous culture. Netuptake of phosphate is proportional to external concentration.Growing cells at pH_o 10 have a net uptake rate of about 600pmol m^–2 s^–1 phosphate, but the isotopic flux for³²P phosphate was about 4 nmol m^–2 s^–1. There appearsto be a constitutive over-capacity for phosphate uptake. TheK_m and V_max, of the saturable component were not significantlydifferent at pH_o 7.5 and 10, hence the transport system probablyrecognizes both H₂PO^–₄and HPO^2–₄. The intracellularinorganic phosphate concentration is about 3 to 10 mol m^–3,but there is an intracellular polyphosphate store of about 400mol m^–3. Intracellular inorganic phosphate is 25 to 50kJ mol^–1 from electrochemical equilibrium in both thelight and dark and at pH_o 7.5 and 10. Phosphate uptake is veryslow in the dark ( 100 pmol m^–2 s^–1) and is light-activated(pH_o 7.51.3 nmol m^–2 s^–1, pH_o 10600 pmol m^–2s^–1). Uptake has an irreversible requirement for Mg²⁺in the medium. Uptake in the light is strongly Na⁺-dependent.Phosphate uptake was negatively electrogenic (net negative chargetaken up when transporting phosphate) at pH_o 7.5, but positivelyelectrogenic at pH_o 10. This seems to exclude a sodium motiveforce driven mechanism. An ATP-driven phosphate uptake mechanismneeds to have a stoichiometry of one phosphate taken up perATP (1 PO_{4 in}/ATP) to be thermodynamically possible under allthe conditions tested in the present study. (Received June 16, 1997; Accepted September 4, 1997)     

Phycobilisome Mobility in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 is Influenced by the Trimerisation of Photosystem I

We have constructed a mutant of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 deficient in the Photosystem I subunit PsaL. As has been shown in other cyanobacteria, we find that Photosystem I is exclusively monomeric in the PsaL(-) mutant: no Photosystem I trimers can be isolated. The mutation does not significantly alter pigment composition, photosystem stoichiometry, or the steady-state light-harvesting properties of the cells. In agreement with a study in Synechococcus sp. PCC7002 [Schluchter et al. (1996) Photochem Photobiol 64: 53-66], we find that state transitions, a physiological adaptation of light-harvesting function, occur significantly faster in the PsaL(-) mutant than in the wild-type. To explore the reasons for this, we have used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to measure the diffusion of phycobilisomes in vivo. We find that phycobilisomes diffuse, on average, nearly three times faster in the PsaL(-) mutant than in the wild-type. We discuss the implications for the mechanism of state transitions in cyanobacteria.     

Spatial and Temporal Organization of Chromosome Duplication and Segregation in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

The spatial and temporal control of chromosome duplication and segregation is crucial for proper cell division. While this process is well studied in eukaryotic and some prokaryotic organisms, relatively little is known about it in prokaryotic polyploids such as Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, which is known to possess one to eight copies of its single chromosome. Using a fluorescent repressor-operator system, S. elongatus chromosomes and chromosome replication forks were tagged and visualized. We found that chromosomal duplication is asynchronous and that the total number of chromosomes is correlated with cell length. Thus, replication is independent of cell cycle and coupled to cell growth. Replication events occur in a spatially random fashion. However, once assembled, replisomes move in a constrained manner. On the other hand, we found that segregation displays a striking spatial organization in some cells. Chromosomes transiently align along the major axis of the cell and timing of alignment was correlated to cell division. This mechanism likely contributes to the non-random segregation of chromosome copies to daughter cells.     

Phase determination of circadian gene expression in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

The authors analyzed the upstream regulatory region of purF, a gene that is expressed in a minority phase that peaks at dawn (class 2 circadian phasing) in Synechococcus elongatus, to determine whether specific cis elements are responsible for this characteristic expression pattern. Fusions of various promoter-bearing fragments to luciferase reporter genes showed that normal class 2 phasing of purF expression was correlated with promoter strength. No specific cis element that is separable from the promoter was responsible for determining phase. Very weak promoter activity of unstable phasing was mapped to a 50-bp segment. Inclusion of sequences that flank this minimal promoter either upstream or downstream increased the promoter strength and stabilized the phase in class 2, but neither segment was individually necessary. Because the data suggested a role for the overall promoter context rather than a specific "phase element," the authors proposed that DNA topology is important in the phase determination of circadian gene expression in S. elongatus. To test this hypothesis, they fused the well-characterized DNA topology-dependent Escherichia coli fis promoter to luciferase and showed that it acts as a class 2 promoter in S. elongatus.     

Characterization of dnaJ multigene family in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

The genome of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 contains four dnaJ homologs, which are classified into three types based on domain structure. Among these, dnaJ1, dnaJ2, and dnaJ3 are essential for normal growth, and hence we analyzed them with a view to characterizing their specificity. Expression analysis indicated that dnaJ2, which encodes type II DnaJ protein, exhibited typical responses to heat and high-light stresses. Their localization and ability to prevent aggregation of luciferase were also diverse, suggesting a possible functional differentiation of these proteins. Since the expression of dnaJ1, which belongs to conserved type I DnaJ, down-regulated under heat stress, the unique structure of DnaJ2 may be involved in stress responses of S. elongatus. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the diverse dnaJ family was assumed to have evolved its own specific functions in each cyanobacterial species.     

A Novel Expression Vector for the Cyanobacterium, Synechococcus PCC 6301

A cyanobacterial expression vector was constructed using ribulose-1,5-bisphosphatecarboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) promoter and terminator sequencesderived from Synechococcus PCC 6301. The recombinant plasmid,designated pARUB19, has an ampicillin-resistant (Ap^R) gene asa selectable marker and four unique restriction sites to allowthe insertion of foreign genes. Using this vector, the luciferasegene from the firefly, Photinus pyralis, was introduced intoSynechococcus PCC 6301 cells. The luciferase expression vectorcould be maintained stably in the host cells. Light productionof luciferin/luciferase was detected in the transformants. Luciferaseamounted to 1.2% of the total soluble protein. This plasmidmay facilitate higher levels of foreign gene expression in SynechococcusPCC 6301.     

Purification and Characterization of Phosphoribulokinase from the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC7942

Phosphoribulokinase (PRK) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneityfrom Synechococcus PCC7942 with high specific activity. Molecularmasses of the native enzyme and its subunit were 178 and 42kDa, respectively. Cys-17 and Cys-38 were conserved in the cyanobacterialPRK, but 18 amino acid residues between them were missing amongthe 40 residues found in higher plant PRKs. (Received February 1, 1995; Accepted July 27, 1995)     

对生玉米幼叶尿卟啉原脱羧酶的纯化及部分性质研究

尿卟啉原Ⅲ脱羧酶是植物血红素和叶绿素合成的一个关键调控酶。对生玉米叶片中叶绿素含量较比互生玉米高。对生玉米幼苗经硫酸铵分级沉淀,DEAE Sepharose CL-6B、Sephacryl S-200、羟基磷灰石和B lueSepharose CL-6B层析,纯化了尿卟啉原脱羧酶。纯化倍数为1 060倍,得率约8%,比活约880 U/mg蛋白。纯化的UROD在SDS/PAGE显示一条带,亚基分子量约为40 kD,Sephacryl S-300测得全酶分子量约为55 kD。IEF-PAGE显示UROD为一条带,等电点约为6.0,酶的最适pH值约7.0,在55℃下保温12 m in,酶活力丧失90%,在100 mm ol/L的巯基乙醇下,UROD的酶活力提高7倍。体外5 mm ol/L的磷酸吡哆醛修饰显示UROD活力下降约30%。     

Ribosomal protein L2 associates with E. coli HtpG and activates its ATPase activity

Although eukaryotic Hsp90 has been studied extensively, the function of its bacterial homologue HtpG remains elusive. Here we report that 50S ribosomal protein L2 was found as an associated protein with His-tagged HtpG from Escherichia coli cultured in minimum medium at 45 °C. L2 specifically activated ATPase activity of HtpG, but other denatured proteins did not. The analysis using domain derivatives of HtpG and L2 showed that C-terminal domain of L2 and the middle to C-terminal domain of HtpG are important for interaction. At physiological salt concentration, L2 was denatured state and was recognized by HtpG as well as other chaperones, DnaK/DnaJ/GrpE and GroEL/GroES. The ATPase of HtpG at increasing concentration of L2 indicated that an L2 molecule bound to a dimer HtpG with apparent K_D of 0.3 μM at 100 mM KCl and 3.3 μM at 200 mM KCl.