The heat shock response in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 and regulation of gene expression by HrcA and SigB

Current insights into molecular mechanisms of environmental stress tolerance in Cyanobacteria

The photoautotrophic nature of cyanobacteria, coupled with their fast growth and relative ease of genetic manipulation, makes these microorganisms very promising factories for the sustainable production of bio-products from atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, both in nature and in cultivation, cyanobacteria go through different abiotic stresses such as high light (HL) stress, heavy metal stress, nutrient limitation, heat stress, salt stress, oxidative stress, and alcohol stress. In recent years, significant improvement has been made in identifying the stress-responsive genes and the linked pathways in cyanobacteria and developing genome editing tools for their manipulation. Metabolic pathways play an important role in stress tolerance; their modification is also a very promising approach to adapting to stress conditions. Several synthetic as well as systems biology approaches have been developed to identify and manipulate genes regulating cellular responses under different stresses. In this review, we summarize the impact of different stresses on metabolic processes, the small RNAs, genes and heat shock proteins (HSPs) involved, changes in the metabolome and their adaptive mechanisms. The developing knowledge of the adaptive behaviour of cyanobacteria may also be utilised to develop better stress-responsive strains for various applications.

Engineering RNA polymerase to construct biotechnological host strains of cyanobacteria

Application of cyanobacteria for bioproduction, bioremediation and biotransformation is being increasingly explored. Photoautotrophs are carbon-negative by default, offering a direct pathway to reducing emissions in production systems. More robust and versatile host strains are needed for constructing production strains that would function as efficient and carbon-neutral cyanofactories. We have tested if the engineering of sigma factors, regulatory units of the bacterial RNA polymerase, could be used to generate better host strains of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Overexpressing the stress-responsive sigB gene under the strong psbA2 promoter (SigB-oe) led to improved tolerance against heat, oxidative stress and toxic end-products. By targeting transcription initiation in the SigB-oe strain, we could simultaneously activate a wide spectrum of cellular protective mechanisms, including carotenoids, the HspA heat shock protein, and highly activated non-photochemical quenching. Yellow fluorescent protein was used to test the capacity of the SigB-oe strain to produce heterologous proteins. In standard conditions, the SigB-oe strain reached a similar production as the control strain, but when cultures were challenged with oxidative stress, the production capacity of SigB-oe surpassed the control strain. We also tested the production of growth-rate-controlled host strains via manipulation of RNA polymerase, but post-transcriptional regulation prevented excessive overexpression of the primary sigma factor SigA, and overproduction of the growth-restricting SigC factor was lethal. Thus, more research is needed before cyanobacteria growth can be manipulated by engineering RNA polymerase.

DnaK2 Mediates a Negative Feedback Regulation of the Heat Shock Responsive Hik2-Rre1 Two-Component System in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Elongatus PCC 7942

The two-component system (TCS) is a conserved signal transduction module in bacteria. The Hik2-Rre1 system is responsible for transcriptional activation upon high-temperature shift as well as plastoquinone-related redox stress in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. As heat-induced de novo protein synthesis was previously shown to be required to quench the heat-activated response, we investigated the underlying mechanism in this study. We found that the heat-inducible transcription activation was alleviated by the overexpression of dnaK2, which is an essential homolog of the highly conserved HSP70 chaperone and whose expression is induced under the control of the Hik2-Rre1 TCS. Phosphorylation of Rre1 correlated with transcription of the regulatory target hspA. The redox stress response was found to be similarly repressed by dnaK2 overexpression. Considered together with the previous information, we propose a negative feedback mechanism of the Hik2-Rre1-dependent stress response that maintains the cellular homeostasis mediated by DnaK2.

Roles of Close Homologues SigB and SigD in Heat and High Light Acclimation of the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Acclimation of cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 to suboptimal conditions is largely dependent on adjustments of gene expression, which is highly controlled by the σ factor subunits of RNA polymerase (RNAP). The SigB and SigD σ factors are close homologues. Here we show that the sigB and sigD genes are both induced in high light and heat stresses. Comparison of transcriptomes of the control strain (CS), ΔsigB, ΔsigD, ΔsigBCE (containing SigD as the only functional group 2 σ factor), and ΔsigCDE (SigB as the only functional group 2 σ factor) strains in standard, high light, and high temperature conditions revealed that the SigB and SigD factors regulate different sets of genes and SigB and SigD regulons are highly dependent on stress conditions. The SigB regulon is bigger than the SigD regulon at high temperature, whereas, in high light, the SigD regulon is bigger than the SigB regulon. Furthermore, our results show that favoring the SigB or SigD factor by deleting other group 2 σ factors does not lead to superior acclimation to high light or high temperature, indicating that all group 2 σ factors play roles in the acclimation processes.

Glucosidase Inhibitors Screening in Microalgae and Cyanobacteria Isolated from the Amazon and Proteomic Analysis of Inhibitor Producing Synechococcus sp. GFB01

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are good sources for prospecting metabolites of biotechnological interest, including glucosidase inhibitors. These inhibitors act on enzymes related to various biochemical processes; they are involved in metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and Gaucher disease, tumors and viral infections, thus, they are interesting hubs for the development of new drugs and therapies. In this work, the screening of 63 environmental samples collected in the Brazilian Amazon found activity against β-glucosidase, of at least 60 min, in 13.85% of the tested extracts, with Synechococcus sp. GFB01 showing inhibitory activity of 90.2% for α-glucosidase and 96.9% against β-glucosidase. It was found that the nutritional limitation due to a reduction in the concentration of sodium nitrate, despite not being sufficient to cause changes in cell growth and photosynthetic apparatus, resulted in reduced production of α and β-glucosidase inhibitors and differential protein expression. The proteomic analysis of cyanobacteria isolated from the Amazon is unprecedented, with this being the first work to evaluate the protein expression of Synechococcus sp. GFB01 subjected to nutritional stress. This evaluation helps to better understand the metabolic responses of this organism, especially related to the production of inhibitors, adding knowledge to the industrial potential of these cyanobacterial compounds.

Stress Signaling in Cyanobacteria: A Mechanistic Overview

Cyanobacteria are highly diverse, widely distributed photosynthetic bacteria inhabiting various environments ranging from deserts to the cryosphere. Throughout this range of niches, they have to cope with various stresses and kinds of deprivation which threaten their growth and viability. In order to adapt to these stresses and survive, they have developed several global adaptive responses which modulate the patterns of gene expression and the cellular functions at work. Sigma factors, two-component systems, transcriptional regulators and small regulatory RNAs acting either separately or collectively, for example, induce appropriate cyanobacterial stress responses. The aim of this review is to summarize our current knowledge about the diversity of the sensors and regulators involved in the perception and transduction of light, oxidative and thermal stresses, and nutrient starvation responses. The studies discussed here point to the fact that various stresses affecting the photosynthetic capacity are transduced by common mechanisms.

Over Expression of the Cyanobacterial Pgr5-Homologue Leads to Pseudoreversion in a Gene Coding for a Putative Esterase in Synechocystis 6803

Pgr5 proteins play a major direct role in cyclic electron flow paths in plants and eukaryotic phytoplankton. The genomes of many cyanobacterial species code for Pgr5-like proteins but their function is still uncertain. Here, we present evidence that supports a link between the Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 Pgr5-like protein and the regulation of intracellular redox balance. The knockout strain, pgr5KO, did not display substantial phenotypic response under our experimental conditions, confirming results obtained in earlier studies. However, the overexpression strain, pgr5OE, accumulated 2.5-fold more chlorophyll than the wild type and displayed increased content of photosystems matching the chlorophyll increase. As a result, electron transfer rates through the photosynthetic apparatus of pgr5OE increased, as did the amount of energy stored as glycogen. While, under photoautotrophic conditions, this metabolic difference had only minor effects, under mixotrophic conditions, pgr5OE cultures collapsed. Interestingly, this specific phenotype of pgr5OE mutants displayed a tendency for reverting, and cultures which previously collapsed in the presence of glucose were now able to survive. DNA sequencing of a pgr5OE strain revealed a second site suppression mutation in slr1916, a putative esterase associated with redox regulation. The phenotype of the slr1916 knockout is very similar to that of the strain reported here and to that of the pmgA regulator knockout. These data demonstrate that, in Synechocystis 6803, there is strong selection against overexpression of the Pgr5-like protein. The pseudoreversion event in a gene involved in redox regulation suggests a connection of the Pgr5-like protein to this network.

Testing the Potential of Regulatory Sigma Factor Mutants for Wastewater Purification or Bioreactor Run in High Light

It is shown that a freshly inoculated culture of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 consumed almost all phosphate and 50% of nitrate within 6 days from the nutrient-rich BG-11 growth medium, indicating potential of cyanobacteria to purify wastewaters. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 control strain also collected nutrients efficiently from a landfill leachate wastewater KA2 (5.9-6.9 mM ammonium and 0.073-0.077 mM phosphate). Wastewaters might induce oxidative stress to microalgae, which prompted us to test growth of sigma factor inactivation strains, as ΔsigBCE and ΔsigCDE strains show superior growth in chemically induced oxidative stress. All cyanobacterial strains, including a stress-sensitive strain ΔsigBCDE, grew well in KA2 for four days, indicating that KA2 did not cause immediate oxidative stress. Completely arrested growth and bleaching of ΔsigBCDE cells after one week in KA2 wastewater point to the importance of group 2 sigma factor-mediated changes in gene expression during wastewater treatment. The growth of ΔsigBCD was arrested early in un-buffered and Hepes buffered (pH 7.5) KA2. In ΔsigBCD, all phosphate transporter genes are upregulated in standard conditions, and ΔsigBCD cells showed growth defects in low-phosphate BG-11 medium. ΔsigBCD cells removed phosphate slower from KA2 than the control strain, but phosphate supplementation of KA2 did not improve growth of ΔsigBCD. The ΔsigBCE strain showed superior growth in a laboratory-scale bioreactor in bright light and removed phosphate even slightly more efficiently than the control strain if KA2 was Hepes buffered although ΔsigBCE grew slowly in un-buffered KA2 and in low-phosphate BG-11 medium. The results indicate that engineering expression of regulatory group 2 sigma factor(s) might be useful for practical applications.

Recent Advances in Biological Functions of Thick Pili in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Cyanobacteria have evolved various strategies to sense and adapt to biotic and abiotic stresses including active movement. Motility in cyanobacteria utilizing the type IV pili (TFP) is useful to cope with changing environmental conditions. The model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (hereafter named Synechocystis) exhibits motility via TFP called thick pili, and uses it to seek out favorable light/nutrition or escape from unfavorable conditions. Recently, a number of studies on Synechocystis thick pili have been undertaken. Molecular approaches support the role of the pilin in motility, cell adhesion, metal utilization, and natural competence in Synechocystis. This review summarizes the most recent studies on the function of thick pili as well as their formation and regulation in this cyanobacterium.

Fischerella thermalis: a model organism to study thermophilic diazotrophy, photosynthesis and multicellularity in cyanobacteria

The true-branching cyanobacterium Fischerella thermalis (also known as Mastigocladus laminosus) is widely distributed in hot springs around the world. Morphologically, it has been described as early as 1837. However, its taxonomic placement remains controversial. F. thermalis belongs to the same genus as mesophilic Fischerella species but forms a monophyletic clade of thermophilic Fischerella strains and sequences from hot springs. Their recent divergence from freshwater or soil true-branching species and the ongoing process of specialization inside the thermal gradient make them an interesting evolutionary model to study. F. thermalis is one of the most complex prokaryotes. It forms a cellular network in which the main trichome and branches exchange metabolites and regulators via septal junctions. This species can adapt to a variety of environmental conditions, with its photosynthetic apparatus remaining active in a temperature range from 15 to 58 °C. Together with its nitrogen-fixing ability, this allows it to dominate in hot spring microbial mats and contribute significantly to the de novo carbon and nitrogen input. Here, we review the current knowledge on the taxonomy and distribution of F. thermalis, its morphological complexity, and its physiological adaptations to an extreme environment.

Transcription in cyanobacteria: a distinctive machinery and putative mechanisms

Transcription in cyanobacteria involves several fascinating features. Cyanobacteria comprise one of the very few groups in which no proofreading factors (Gre homologues) have been identified. Gre factors increase the efficiency of RNA cleavage, therefore helping to maintain the fidelity of the RNA transcript and assist in the resolution of stalled RNAPs to prevent genome damage. The vast majority of bacterial species encode at least one of these highly conserved factors and so their absence in cyanobacteria is intriguing. Additionally, the largest subunit of bacterial RNAP has undergone a split in cyanobacteria to form two subunits and the SI3 insertion within the integral trigger loop element is roughly 3.5 times larger than in Escherichia coli. The Rho termination factor also appears to be absent, leaving cyanobacteria to rely solely on an intrinsic termination mechanism. Furthermore, cyanobacteria must be able to respond to environment signals such as light intensity and tightly synchronise gene expression and other cell activities to a circadian rhythm.

Group 2 Sigma Factors are Central Regulators of Oxidative Stress Acclimation in Cyanobacteria

Regulatory σ factors of the RNA polymerase (RNAP) adjust gene expression according to environmental cues when the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 acclimates to suboptimal conditions. Here we show central roles of the non-essential group 2 σ factors in oxidative stress responses. Cells missing all group 2 σ factors fail to acclimate to chemically induced singlet oxygen, superoxide or H2O2 stresses, and lose pigments in high light. SigB and SigD are the major σ factors in oxidative stress, whereas SigC and SigE play only minor roles. The SigD factor is up-regulated in high light, singlet oxygen and H2O2 stresses, and overproduction of the SigD factor in the ΔsigBCE strain leads to superior growth of ΔsigBCE cells in those stress conditions. Superoxide does not induce the production of the SigD factor but instead SigB and SigC factors are moderately induced. The SigB factor alone in ΔsigCDE can support almost as fast growth in superoxide stress as the full complement of σ factors in the control strain, but an overdose of the stationary phase-related SigC factor causes growth arrest of ΔsigBDE in superoxide stress. A drastic decrease of the functional RNAP limits the transcription capacity of the cells in H2O2 stress, which explains why cyanobacteria are sensitive to H2O2. Formation of RNAP-SigB and RNAP-SigD holoenzymes is highly enhanced in H2O2 stress, and cells containing only SigB (ΔsigCDE) or SigD (ΔsigBCE) show superior growth in H2O2 stress.

Inactivation of group 2 σ factors upregulates production of transcription and translation machineries in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

We show that the formation of the RNAP holoenzyme with the primary σ factor SigA increases in the ΔsigBCDE strain of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 lacking all group 2 σ factors. The high RNAP-SigA holoenzyme content directly induces transcription of a particular set of housekeeping genes, including ones encoding transcription and translation machineries. In accordance with upregulated transcripts, ΔsigBCDE contain more RNAPs and ribosomal subunits than the control strain. Extra RNAPs are fully active, and the RNA content of ΔsigBCDE cells is almost tripled compared to that in the control strain. Although ΔsigBCDE cells produce extra rRNAs and ribosomal proteins, functional extra ribosomes are not formed, and translation activity and protein content remained similar in ΔsigBCDE as in the control strain. The arrangement of the RNA polymerase core genes together with the ribosomal protein genes might play a role in the co-regulation of transcription and translation machineries. Sequence logos were constructed to compare promoters of those housekeeping genes that directly react to the RNAP-SigA holoenzyme content and those ones that do not. Cyanobacterial strains with engineered transcription and translation machineries might provide solutions for construction of highly efficient production platforms for biotechnical applications in the future.

Translating Divergent Environmental Stresses into a Common Proteome Response through the Histidine Kinase 33 (Hik33) in a Model Cyanobacterium

The histidine kinase Hik33 plays important roles in mediating cyanobacterial response to divergent types of abiotic stresses including cold, salt, high light (HL), and osmotic stresses. However, how these functions are regulated by Hik33 remains to be addressed. Using a hik33-deficient strain (Δhik33) of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (Synechocystis) and quantitative proteomics, we found that Hik33 depletion induces differential protein expression highly like that induced by divergent types of stresses. This typically includes downregulation of proteins in photosynthesis and carbon assimilation that are necessary for cell propagation, and upregulation of heat shock proteins, chaperons, and proteases that are important for cell survival. This observation indicates that depletion of Hik33 alone mimics divergent types of abiotic stresses, and that Hik33 could be important for preventing abnormal stress response in the normal condition. Moreover, we found most proteins of plasmid origin were significantly upregulated in Δhik33, though their biological significance remains to be addressed. Together, the systematically characterized Hik33-regulated cyanobacterial proteome, which is largely involved in stress responses, builds the molecular basis for Hik33 as a general regulator of stress responses.

Comparative Genomics of the Baltic Sea Toxic Cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena UHCC 0039 and Its Response to Varying Salinity

Salinity is an important abiotic factor controlling the distribution and abundance of Nodularia spumigena, the dominating diazotrophic and toxic phototroph, in the brackish water cyanobacterial blooms of the Baltic Sea. To expand the available genomic information for brackish water cyanobacteria, we sequenced the isolate Nodularia spumigena UHCC 0039 using an Illumina-SMRT hybrid sequencing approach, revealing a chromosome of 5,294,286 base pairs (bp) and a single plasmid of 92,326 bp. Comparative genomics in Nostocales showed pronounced genetic similarity among Nodularia spumigena strains evidencing their short evolutionary history. The studied Baltic Sea strains share similar sets of CRISPR-Cas cassettes and a higher number of insertion sequence (IS) elements compared to Nodularia spumigena CENA596 isolated from a shrimp production pond in Brazil. Nodularia spumigena UHCC 0039 proliferated similarly at three tested salinities, whereas the lack of salt inhibited its growth and triggered transcriptome remodeling, including the up-regulation of five sigma factors and the down-regulation of two other sigma factors, one of which is specific for strain UHCC 0039. Down-regulated genes additionally included a large genetic region for the synthesis of two yet unidentified natural products. Our results indicate a remarkable plasticity of the Nodularia salinity acclimation, and thus salinity strongly impacts the intensity and distribution of cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea.

The Y. bercovieri Anbu crystal structure sheds light on the evolution of highly (pseudo)symmetric multimers

Ancestral β-subunit (Anbu) is homologous to HslV and 20S proteasomes. Based on its phylogenetic distribution and sequence clustering, Anbu has been proposed as the “ancestral” form of proteasomes. Here, we report biochemical data, small-angle X-ray scattering results, negative-stain electron microscopy micrographs and a crystal structure of the Anbu particle from Yersinia bercovieri (YbAnbu). All data are consistent with YbAnbu forming defined 12–14 subunit multimers that differ in shape from both HslV and 20S proteasomes. The crystal structure reveals that YbAnbu subunits form tight dimers, held together in part by the Anbu specific C-terminal helices. These dimers (“protomers”) further assemble into a low-rise left-handed staircase. The lock-washer shape of YbAnbu is consistent with the presence of defined multimers, X-ray diffraction data in solution and negative-stain electron microscopy images. The presented structure suggests a possible evolutionary pathway from helical filaments to highly symmetric or pseudosymmetric multimer structures. YbAnbu subunits have the Ntn-hydrolase fold, a putative S₁ pocket and conserved candidate catalytic residues Thr1, Asp17 and Lys32(33). Nevertheless, we did not detect any YbAnbu peptidase or amidase activity. However, we could document orthophosphate production from ATP catalyzed by the ATP-grasp protein encoded in the Y. bercovieri Anbu operon.

Regulation of heat-shock genes in bacteria: from signal sensing to gene expression output

The heat-shock response is a mechanism of cellular protection against sudden adverse environmental growth conditions and results in the prompt production of various heat-shock proteins. In bacteria, specific sensory biomolecules sense temperature fluctuations and transduce intercellular signals that coordinate gene expression outputs. Sensory biomolecules, also known as thermosensors, include nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) and proteins. Once a stress signal is perceived, it is transduced to invoke specific molecular mechanisms controlling transcription of genes coding for heat-shock proteins. Transcriptional regulation of heat-shock genes can be under either positive or negative control mediated by dedicated regulatory proteins. Positive regulation exploits specific alternative sigma factors to redirect the RNA polymerase enzyme to a subset of selected promoters, while negative regulation is mediated by transcriptional repressors. Interestingly, while various bacteria adopt either exclusively positive or negative mechanisms, in some microorganisms these two opposite strategies coexist, establishing complex networks regulating heat-shock genes. Here, we comprehensively summarize molecular mechanisms that microorganisms have adopted to finely control transcription of heat-shock genes.

Conserved two-component Hik34-Rre1 module directly activates heat-stress inducible transcription of major chaperone and other genes in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

Bacteria and other organisms, including cyanobacteria, employ two-component signal transducing modules comprising histidine kinases and response regulators to acclimate to changing environments. While the number and composition of these modules differ among cyanobacteria, two response regulators that contain DNA binding domains, RpaB and Rre1, are conserved in all sequenced cyanobacterial genomes and are essential for viability. Although RpaB negatively or positively regulates high light and other stress-responsive gene expression, little is known about the function of Rre1. Here, they investigated the direct regulatory targets of Rre1 in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-density tiling array analysis were used to map Rre1 binding sites. The sites included promoter regions for chaperone genes such as dnaK2, groESL-1, groEL-2, hspA and htpG, as well as the group 2 sigma factor gene rpoD2. In vivo and in vitro analyses revealed that Rre1 phosphorylation level, DNA binding activity and adjacent gene transcription increased in response to heat stress. These responses were much diminished in a knock-out mutant of Hik34, a previously identified heat shock regulator. Based on our results, we propose Hik34-Rre1 is the heat shock-responsive signaling module that positively regulates major chaperone and other genes in cyanobacteria.

Roles of Group 2 Sigma Factors in Acclimation of the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to Nitrogen Deficiency

Acclimation of cyanobacteria to environmental conditions is mainly controlled at the transcriptional level, and σ factors of the RNA polymerase have a central role in this process. The model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 has four non-essential group 2 σ factors (SigB, SigC, SigD and SigE) that regulate global metabolic responses to various adverse environmental conditions. Here we show that although none of the group 2 σ factors is essential for the major metabolic realignments induced by a short period of nitrogen starvation, the quadruple mutant without any group 2 σ factors and triple mutants missing both SigB and SigD grow slowly in BG-11 medium containing only 5% of the nitrate present in standard BG-11. These ΔsigBCDE, ΔsigBCD and ΔsigBDE strains lost PSII activity rapidly in low nitrogen and accumulated less glycogen than the control strain. An abnormally high glycogen content was detected in ΔsigBCE (SigD is active), while the carotenoid content became high in ΔsigCDE (SigB is active), indicating that SigB and SigD regulate the partitioning of carbon skeletons in low nitrogen. Long-term survival and recovery of the cells after nitrogen deficiency was strongly dependent on group 2 σ factors. The quadruple mutant and the ΔsigBDE strain (only SigC is active) recovered more slowly from nitrogen deficiency than the control strain, and ΔsigBCDE in particular lost viability during nitrogen starvation. Nitrogen deficiency-induced changes in the pigment content of the control strain recovered essentially in 1 d in nitrogen-replete medium, but little recovery occurred in ΔsigBCDE and ΔsigBDE.

Variations in the non-coding transcriptome as a driver of inter-strain divergence and physiological adaptation in bacteria

In all studied organisms, a substantial portion of the transcriptome consists of non-coding RNAs that frequently execute regulatory functions. Here, we have compared the primary transcriptomes of the cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC 6714 and PCC 6803 under 10 different conditions. These strains share 2854 protein-coding genes and a 16S rRNA identity of 99.4%, indicating their close relatedness. Conserved major transcriptional start sites (TSSs) give rise to non-coding transcripts within the sigB gene, from the 5′UTRs of cmpA and isiA, and 168 loci in antisense orientation. Distinct differences include single nucleotide polymorphisms rendering promoters inactive in one of the strains, e.g., for cmpR and for the asRNA PsbA2R. Based on the genome-wide mapped location, regulation and classification of TSSs, non-coding transcripts were identified as the most dynamic component of the transcriptome. We identified a class of mRNAs that originate by read-through from an sRNA that accumulates as a discrete and abundant transcript while also serving as the 5′UTR. Such an sRNA/mRNA structure, which we name ‘actuaton’, represents another way for bacteria to remodel their transcriptional network. Our findings support the hypothesis that variations in the non-coding transcriptome constitute a major evolutionary element of inter-strain divergence and capability for physiological adaptation.

Mechanisms of High Temperature Resistance of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: An Impact of Histidine Kinase 34

Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a widely used model cyanobacterium for studying responses and acclimation to different abiotic stresses. Changes in transcriptome, proteome, lipidome, and photosynthesis in response to short term heat stress are well studied in this organism, and histidine kinase 34 (Hik34) is shown to play an important role in mediating such response. Corresponding data on long term responses, however, are fragmentary and vary depending on parameters of experiments and methods of data collection, and thus are hard to compare. In order to elucidate how the early stress responses help cells to sustain long-term heat stress, as well as the role of Hik34 in prolonged acclimation, we examined the resistance to long-term heat stress of wild-type and ΔHik34 mutant of Synechocystis. In this work, we were able to precisely control the long term experimental conditions by cultivating Synechocystis in automated photobioreactors, measuring selected physiological parameters within a time range of minutes. In addition, morphological and ultrastructural changes in cells were analyzed and western blotting of individual proteins was used to study the heat stress-affected protein expression. We have shown that the majority of wild type cell population was able to recover after 24 h of cultivation at 44 °C. In contrast, while ΔHik34 mutant cells were resistant to heat stress within its first hours, they could not recover after 24 h long high temperature treatment. We demonstrated that the early induction of HspA expression and maintenance of high amount of other HSPs throughout the heat incubation is critical for successful adaptation to long-term stress. In addition, it appears that histidine kinase Hik34 is an essential component for the long term high temperature resistance.

Alteration of cyanobacterial sugar and amino acid metabolism by overexpression hik8, encoding a KaiC-associated histidine kinase

Cyanobacteria possess circadian clocks consisting of KaiABC proteins, and circadian rhythm must closely relate to the primary metabolism. A histidine kinase, SasA, interacts with KaiC to transduce circadian signals and widely regulates transcription in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942, although the involvement of SasA in primary metabolism has not been demonstrated at metabolite levels. Here, we generated a strain overexpressing hik8 (HOX80), an orthologue of SasA in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. HOX80 grew slowly under light conditions and lost viability under continuous dark conditions. Transcript levels of genes related to sugar catabolism remained higher in HOX80 under dark conditions. Metabolomic analysis revealed that under light conditions, glycogen was undetectable in HOX80, and there were decreased levels of metabolites of sugar catabolism and increased levels of amino acids, compared with those in the wild-type strain. HOX80 exhibited aberrant degradation of SigE proteins after a light-to-dark transition and immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that Hik8 directly interacts with KaiC1. The results of this study demonstrate that overexpression of hik8 widely alters sugar and amino acid metabolism, revealing the involvement of Hik8 in primary metabolism under both light and dark conditions in this cyanobacterium.

The ω subunit of RNA polymerase is essential for thermal acclimation of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The rpoZ gene encodes the small ω subunit of RNA polymerase. A ΔrpoZ strain of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 grew well in standard conditions (constant illumination at 40 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹; 32°C; ambient CO₂) but was heat sensitive and died at 40°C. In the control strain, 71 genes were at least two-fold up-regulated and 91 genes down-regulated after a 24-h treatment at 40°C, while in ΔrpoZ 394 genes responded to heat. Only 62 of these heat-responsive genes were similarly regulated in both strains, and 80% of heat-responsive genes were unique for ΔrpoZ. The RNA polymerase core and the primary σ factor SigA were down-regulated in the control strain at 40°C but not in ΔrpoZ. In accordance with reduced RNA polymerase content, the total RNA content of mild-heat-stress-treated cells was lower in the control strain than in ΔrpoZ. Light-saturated photosynthetic activity decreased more in ΔrpoZ than in the control strain upon mild heat stress. The amounts of photosystem II and rubisco decreased at 40°C in both strains while PSI and the phycobilisome antenna protein allophycocyanin remained at the same level as in standard conditions. The phycobilisome rod proteins, phycocyanins, diminished during the heat treatment in ΔrpoZ but not in the control strain, and the nblA1 and nblA2 genes (encode NblA proteins required for phycobilisome degradation) were up-regulated only in ΔrpoZ. Our results show that the ω subunit of RNAP is essential in heat stress because it is required for heat acclimation of diverse cellular processes.

Divergence with gene flow in a population of thermophilic bacteria: a potential role for spatially varying selection

A fundamental goal of evolutionary biology is to understand how ecological diversity arises and is maintained in natural populations. We have investigated the contributions of gene flow and divergent selection to the distribution of genetic variation in an ecologically differentiated population of a thermophilic cyanobacterium (Mastigocladus laminosus) found along the temperature gradient of a nitrogen-limited stream in Yellowstone National Park. For most loci sampled, gene flow appears to be sufficient to prevent substantial genetic divergence. However, one locus (rfbC) exhibited a comparatively low migration rate as well as other signatures expected for a gene experiencing spatially varying selection, including an excess of common variants, an elevated level of polymorphism and extreme genetic differentiation along the gradient. rfbC is part of an expression island involved in the production of the polysaccharide component of the protective envelope of the heterocyst, the specialized nitrogen-fixing cell of these bacteria. SNP genotyping in the vicinity of rfbC revealed a ~5-kbp region including a gene content polymorphism that is tightly associated with environmental temperature and therefore likely contains the target of selection. Two genes have been deleted both in the predominant haplotype found in the downstream region of White Creek and in strains from other Yellowstone populations of M. laminosus, which may result in the production of heterocysts with different envelope properties. This study implicates spatially varying selection in the maintenance of variation related to thermal performance at White Creek despite on-going or recent gene flow.

Translational control of small heat shock genes in mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria by RNA thermometers

Cyanobacteria constitute a heterogeneous phylum of oxygen-producing, photosynthetic prokaryotes. They are susceptible to various stress conditions like heat, salt, or light stress, all inducing the cyanobacterial heat shock response (HSR). Cyanobacterial small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are known to preserve thylakoid membrane integrity under stress conditions, thereby protecting the photosynthesis machinery. In Synechocystis sp PCC 6803, synthesis of the sHsp Hsp17 is regulated by an RNA thermometer (RNAT) in the 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of the hsp17 mRNA. RNATs are direct temperature sensors that control expression of many bacterial heat shock and virulence genes. They hinder translation at low temperatures by base pairing, thus blocking ribosome access to the mRNA.

 

To explore the temperature range in which RNATs act, we studied various RNAT candidates upstream of sHsp genes from mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria. The mesophilic cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis and Nostoc sp chromosomally encode two sHsps each. Reporter gene studies suggested RNAT-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of shsp expression in both organisms. Detailed structural analysis of the two A. variabilis candidates revealed two novel RNAT types. The first, avashort, regulates translation primarily by masking of the AUG translational start codon. The second, featuring an extended initial hairpin, thus named avalong, presumably makes use of complex tertiary interaction. The 5′-UTR of the small heat shock gene hspA in the thermophile Thermosynechococcus elongatus is predicted to adopt an extended secondary structure. Structure probing revealed that the ribosome binding site was blocked at temperatures below 55 °C. The results of this study demonstrate that cyanobacteria commonly use RNATs to control expression of their small heat shock genes.

Cyanobacterial heat-shock response: role and regulation of molecular chaperones

Cyanobacteria constitute a morphologically diverse group of oxygenic photoautotrophic microbes which range from unicellular to multicellular, and non-nitrogen-fixing to nitrogen-fixing types. Sustained long-term exposure to changing environmental conditions, during their three billion years of evolution, has presumably led to their adaptation to diverse ecological niches. The ability to maintain protein conformational homeostasis (folding–misfolding–refolding or aggregation–degradation) by molecular chaperones holds the key to the stress adaptability of cyanobacteria. Although cyanobacteria possess several genes encoding DnaK and DnaJ family proteins, these are not the most abundant heat-shock proteins (Hsps), as is the case in other bacteria. Instead, the Hsp60 family of proteins, comprising two phylogenetically conserved proteins, and small Hsps are more abundant during heat stress. The contribution of the Hsp100 (ClpB) family of proteins and of small Hsps in the unicellular cyanobacteria (Synechocystis and Synechococcus) as well as that of Hsp60 proteins in the filamentous cyanobacteria (Anabaena) to thermotolerance has been elucidated. The regulation of chaperone genes by several cis-elements and trans-acting factors has also been well documented. Recent studies have demonstrated novel transcriptional and translational (mRNA secondary structure) regulatory mechanisms in unicellular cyanobacteria. This article provides an insight into the heat-shock response: its organization, and ecophysiological regulation and role of molecular chaperones, in unicellular and filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial strains.

Essential role of the plasmid hik31 operon in regulating central metabolism in the dark in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The plasmid hik31 operon (P3, slr6039-slr6041) is located on the pSYSX plasmid in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. A P3 mutant (ΔP3) had a growth defect in the dark and a pigment defect that was worsened by the addition of glucose. The glucose defect was from incomplete metabolism of the substrate, was pH dependent, and completely overcome by the addition of bicarbonate. Addition of organic carbon and nitrogen sources partly alleviated the defects of the mutant in the dark. Electron micrographs of the mutant revealed larger cells with division defects, glycogen limitation, lack of carboxysomes, deteriorated thylakoids and accumulation of polyhydroxybutyrate and cyanophycin. A microarray experiment over two days of growth in light-dark plus glucose revealed downregulation of several photosynthesis, amino acid biosynthesis, energy metabolism genes; and an upregulation of cell envelope and transport and binding genes in the mutant. ΔP3 had an imbalance in carbon and nitrogen levels and many sugar catabolic and cell division genes were negatively affected after the first dark period. The mutant suffered from oxidative and osmotic stress, macronutrient limitation, and an energy deficit. Therefore, the P3 operon is an important regulator of central metabolism and cell division in the dark.

Group 2 sigma factor mutant ΔsigCDE of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 reveals functionality of both carotenoids and flavodiiron proteins in photoprotection of photosystem II

Adjustment of gene expression during acclimation to stress conditions, such as bright light, in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 depends on four group 2 σ factors (SigB, SigC, SigD, SigE). A ΔsigCDE strain containing the stress-responsive SigB as the only functional group 2 σ factor appears twice as resistant to photoinhibition of photosystem II (PSII) as the control strain. Microarray analyses of the ΔsigCDE strain indicated that 77 genes in standard conditions and 79 genes in high light were differently expressed compared with the control strain. Analysis of possible photoprotective mechanisms revealed that high carotenoid content and up-regulation of the photoprotective flavodiiron operon flv4-sll0218-flv2 protected PSII in ΔsigCDE, while up-regulation of pgr5-like, hlipB or isiA genes in the mutant strain did not offer particular protection against photoinhibition. Photoinhibition resistance was lost if ΔsigCDE was grown in high CO2, where carotenoid and Flv4, Sll0218, and Flv2 contents were low. Additionally, photoinhibition resistance of the ΔrpoZ strain (lacking the omega subunit of RNA polymerase), with high carotenoid but low Flv4-Sll0218-Flv2 content, supported the importance of carotenoids in PSII protection. Carotenoids likely protect mainly by quenching of singlet oxygen, but efficient nonphotochemical quenching in ΔsigCDE might offer some additional protection. Comparison of photoinhibition kinetics in control, ΔsigCDE, and ΔrpoZ strains showed that protection by the flavodiiron operon was most efficient during the first minutes of high-light illumination.

Environmental pH affects photoautotrophic growth of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 strains carrying mutations in the lumenal proteins of PSII

Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 grows photoautotrophically across a broad pH range, but wild-type cultures reach a higher density at elevated pH; however, photoheterotrophic growth is similar at high and neutral pH. A number of PSII mutants each lacking at least one lumenal extrinsic protein, and carrying a second PSII lumenal mutation, are able to grow photoautotrophically in BG-11 medium at pH 10.0, but not pH 7.5. We investigated the basis of this pH effect and observed no pH-specific change in variable fluorescence yield from PSII centers of the wild type or the pH-dependent ΔPsbO:ΔPsbU and ΔPsbV:ΔCyanoQ strains; however, 77 K fluorescence emission spectra indicated increased coupling of the phycobilisome (PBS) antenna at pH 10.0 in all mutants. DNA microarray data showed a cell-wide response to transfer from pH 10.0 to pH 7.5, including decreased mRNA levels of a number of oxidative stress-responsive transcripts. We hypothesize that this transcriptional response led to increased tolerance against reactive oxygen species and in particular singlet oxygen. This response enabled photoautotrophic growth of the PSII mutants at pH 10.0. This hypothesis was supported by increased resistance of all strains to rose bengal at pH 10.0 compared with pH 7.5.

Impact of different group 2 sigma factors on light use efficiency and high salt stress in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Sigma factors of RNA polymerase recognize promoters and have a central role in controlling transcription initiation and acclimation to changing environmental conditions. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 encodes four non-essential group 2 sigma factors, SigB, SigC, SigD and SigE that closely resemble the essential SigA factor. Three out of four group 2 sigma factors were simultaneously inactivated and acclimation responses of the triple inactivation strains were studied. All triple inactivation strains grew slowly in low light, and our analysis suggests that the reason is a reduced capacity to adjust the perception of light. Simultaneous inactivation of SigB and SigD hampered growth also in high light. SigB is the most important group 2 sigma factor for salt acclimation, and elimination of all the other group 2 sigma factors slightly improved the salt tolerance of Synechocystis. Presence of only SigE allowed full salt acclimation including up-regulation of hspA and ggpS genes, but more slowly than SigB. Cells with only SigD acclimated to high salt but the acclimation processes differed from those of the control strain. Presence of only SigC prevented salt acclimation.

Thermal acclimation of the symbiotic alga Symbiodinium spp. alleviates photobleaching under heat stress

A moderate increase in seawater temperature causes coral bleaching, at least partially through photobleaching of the symbiotic algae Symbiodinium spp. Photobleaching of Symbiodinium spp. is primarily associated with the loss of light-harvesting proteins of photosystem II (PSII) and follows the inactivation of PSII under heat stress. Here, we examined the effect of increased growth temperature on the change in sensitivity of Symbiodinium spp. PSII inactivation and photobleaching under heat stress. When Symbiodinium spp. cells were grown at 25°C and 30°C, the thermal tolerance of PSII, measured by the thermal stability of the maximum quantum yield of PSII in darkness, was commonly enhanced in all six Symbiodinium spp. tested. In Symbiodinium sp. CCMP827, it took 6 h to acquire the maximum PSII thermal tolerance after transfer from 25°C to 30°C. The effect of increased growth temperature on the thermal tolerance of PSII was completely abolished by chloramphenicol, indicating that the acclimation mechanism of PSII is associated with the de novo synthesis of proteins. When CCMP827 cells were exposed to light at temperature ranging from 25°C to 35°C, the sensitivity of cells to both high temperature-induced photoinhibition and photobleaching was ameliorated by increased growth temperatures. These results demonstrate that thermal acclimation of Symbiodinium spp. helps to improve the thermal tolerance of PSII, resulting in reduced inactivation of PSII and algal photobleaching. These results suggest that whole-organism coral bleaching associated with algal photobleaching can be at least partially suppressed by the thermal acclimation of Symbiodinium spp. at higher growth temperatures.

Gene expression profile of the cynobacterium synechocystis genome

The expression of functional proteins plays a crucial role in modern biotechnology. The free-living cynobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 is an interesting model organism to study oxygenic photosynthesis as well as other metabolic processes. Here we analyze a gene expression profiling methodology, RCBS (the scores of relative codon usage bias) to elucidate expression patterns of genes in the Synechocystis genome. To assess the predictive performance of the methodology, we propose a simple algorithm to calculate the threshold score to identify the highly expressed genes in a genome. Analysis of differential expression of the genes of this genome reveals that most of the genes in photosynthesis and respiration belong to the highly expressed category. The other genes with the higher predicted expression level include ribosomal proteins, translation processing factors and many hypothetical proteins. Only 9.5% genes are identified as highly expressed genes and we observe that highly expressed genes in Synechocystis genome often have strong compositional bias in terms of codon usage. An important application concerns the automatic detection of a set of impact codons and genes that are highly expressed tend to use this narrow set of preferred codons and display high codon bias .We further observe a strong correlation between RCBS and protein length indicating natural selection in favor of shorter genes to be expressed at higher level. The better correlations of RCBS with 2D electrophoresis and microarray data for heat shock proteins compared to the expression measure based on codon usage difference, E(g) and codon adaptive index, CAI indicate that the genomic expression profile available in our method can be applied in a meaningful way to study the mRNA expression patterns, which are by themselves necessary for the quantitative description of the biological states.

The SigB σ factor regulates multiple salt acclimation responses of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Changing of principal σ factor in RNA polymerase holoenzyme to a group 2 σ factor redirects transcription when cyanobacteria acclimate to suboptimal environmental conditions. The group 2 sigma factor SigB was found to be important for the growth of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in high-salt (0.7 m NaCl) stress but not in mild heat stress at 43°C although the expression of the sigB gene was similarly highly, but only transiently up-regulated at both conditions. The SigB factor was found to regulate many salt acclimation processes. The amount of glucosylglycerol-phosphate synthase, a key enzyme in the production of the compatible solute glucosylglycerol, was lower in the inactivation strain ΔsigB than in the control strain. Addition of the compatible solute trehalose almost completely restored the growth of the ΔsigB strain at 0.7 m NaCl. High-salt conditions lowered the chlorophyll and phycobilin contents of the cells while protective carotenoid pigments, especially zeaxanthin and myxoxanthophyll, were up-regulated in the control strain. These carotenoids were up-regulated in the ΔsigCDE strain (SigB is the only functional group 2 σ factor) and down-regulated in the ΔsigB strain under standard conditions. In addition, the HspA heat shock protein was less abundant and more abundant in the ΔsigB and ΔsigCDE strains, respectively, than in the control strain in high-salt conditions. Some cellular responses are common to heat and salt stresses, but pretreatment with mild heat did not protect cells against salt shock although protection against heat shock was evident.

Genetic engineering of group 2 sigma factor SigE widely activates expressions of sugar catabolic genes in Synechocystis species PCC 6803

Metabolic engineering of photosynthetic organisms is required for utilization of light energy and for reducing carbon emissions.Control of transcriptional regulators is a powerful approach for changing cellular dynamics, because a set of genes is concomitantly regulated. Here, we show that overexpression of a group 2 σ factor, SigE, enhances the expressions of sugar catabolic genes in the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Transcriptome analysis revealed that genes for the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and glycogen catabolism are induced by overproduction of SigE. Immunoblotting showed that protein levels of sugar catabolic enzymes, such as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glycogen phosphorylase, and isoamylase, are increased. Glycogen levels are reduced in the SigE-overexpressing strain grown under light. Metabolome analysis revealed that metabolite levels of the TCA cycle and acetyl-CoA are significantly altered by SigE overexpression. The SigE-overexpressing strain also exhibited defective growth under mixotrophic or dark conditions. Thus, SigE overexpression changes sugar catabolism at the transcript to phenotype levels, suggesting a σ factor-based engineering method for modifying carbon metabolism in photosynthetic bacteria.

Eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr protein kinases SpkC/F/K are involved in phosphorylation of GroES in the Cyanobacterium synechocystis

Serine/threonine protein kinases (STPKs) are the major participants in intracellular signal transduction in eukaryotes, such as yeasts, fungi, plants, and animals. Genome sequences indicate that these kinases are also present in prokaryotes, such as cyanobacteria. However, their roles in signal transduction in prokaryotes remain poorly understood. We have attempted to identify the roles of STPKs in response to heat stress in the prokaryotic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which has 12 genes for STPKs. Each gene was individually inactivated to generate a gene-knockout library of STPKs. We applied in vitro Ser/Thr protein phosphorylation and phosphoproteomics and identified the methionyl-tRNA synthetase, large subunit of RuBisCO, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, translation elongation factor Tu, heat-shock protein GrpE, and small chaperonin GroES as the putative targets for Ser/Thr phosphorylation. The expressed and purified GroES was used as an external substrate to screen the protein extracts of the individual mutants for their Ser/Thr kinase activities. The mutants that lack one of the three protein kinases, SpkC, SpkF, and SpkK, were unable to phosphorylate GroES in vitro, suggesting possible interactions between them towards their substrate. Complementation of the mutated SpkC, SpkF, and SpkK leads to the restoration of the ability of cells to phosphorylate the GroES. This suggests that these three STPKs are organized in a sequential order or a cascade and they work one after another to finally phosphorylate the GroES.

Translation on demand by a simple RNA-based thermosensor

Structured RNA regions are important gene control elements in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here, we show that the mRNA of a cyanobacterial heat shock gene contains a built-in thermosensor critical for photosynthetic activity under stress conditions. The exceptionally short 5′-untranslated region is comprised of a single hairpin with an internal asymmetric loop. It inhibits translation of the Synechocystis hsp17 transcript at normal growth conditions, permits translation initiation under stress conditions and shuts down Hsp17 production in the recovery phase. Point mutations that stabilized or destabilized the RNA structure deregulated reporter gene expression in vivo and ribosome binding in vitro. Introduction of such point mutations into the Synechocystis genome produced severe phenotypic defects. Reversible formation of the open and closed structure was beneficial for viability, integrity of the photosystem and oxygen evolution. Continuous production of Hsp17 was detrimental when the stress declined indicating that shutting-off heat shock protein production is an important, previously unrecognized function of RNA thermometers. We discovered a simple biosensor that strictly adjusts the cellular level of a molecular chaperone to the physiological need.

Effects of deficiency and overdose of group 2 sigma factors in triple inactivation strains of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803

Acclimation of cyanobacteria to environmental changes includes major changes in the gene expression patterns partly orchestrated by the replacement of a particular σ subunit with another in the RNA polymerase holoenzyme. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 encodes nine σ factors, all belonging to the σ(70) family. Cyanobacteria typically encode many group 2 σ factors that closely resemble the principal σ factor. We inactivated three out of the four group 2 σ factors of Synechocystis simultaneously in all possible combinations and found that all triple inactivation strains grow well under standard conditions. Unlike the other strains, the ΔsigBCD strain, which contains SigE as the only functional group 2 σ factor, did not grow faster under mixotrophic than under autotrophic conditions. The SigB and SigD factors were important in low-temperature acclimation, especially under diurnal light rhythm. The ΔsigBCD, ΔsigBCE, and ΔsigBDE strains were sensitive to high-light-induced photoinhibition, indicating a central role of the SigB factor in high-light tolerance. Furthermore, the ΔsigBCE strain (SigD is the only functional group 2 σ factor) appeared to be locked in the high-fluorescence state (state 1) and grew slowly in blue but not in orange or white light. Our results suggest that features of the triple inactivation strains can be categorized as (i) direct consequences of the inactivation of a particular σ factor(s) and (ii) effects resulting from the higher probability that the remaining group 2 σ factors associate with the RNA polymerase core.

Gene expression under low-oxygen conditions in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 demonstrates Hik31-dependent and -independent responses

We have investigated the response of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 during growth at very low O2 concentration (bubbled with 99.9 % N(2)/0.1 % CO2). Significant transcriptional changes upon low-O2 incubation included upregulation of a cluster of genes that contained psbA1 and an operon that includes a gene encoding the two-component regulatory histidine kinase, Hik31. This regulatory cluster is of particular interest, since there are virtually identical copies on both the chromosome and plasmid pSYSX. We used a knockout mutant lacking the chromosomal copy of hik31 and studied differential transcription during the aerobic-low-O2 transition in this ΔHik31 strain and the wild-type. We observed two distinct responses to this transition, one Hik31 dependent, the other Hik31 independent. The Hik31-independent responses included the psbA1 induction and genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis. In addition, there were changes in a number of genes that may be involved in assembling or stabilizing photosystem (PS)II, and the hox operon and the LexA-like protein (Sll1626) were upregulated during low-O2 growth. This family of responses mostly focused on PSII and overall redox control. There was also a large set of genes that responded differently in the absence of the chromosomal Hik31. In the vast majority of these cases, Hik31 functioned as a repressor and transcription was enhanced when Hik31 was deleted. Genes in this category encoded both core and peripheral proteins for PSI and PSII, the main phycobilisome proteins, chaperones, the ATP synthase cluster and virtually all of the ribosomal proteins. These findings, coupled with the fact that ΔHik31 grew better than the wild-type under low-O2 conditions, suggested that Hik31 helps to regulate growth and overall cellular homeostasis. We detected changes in the transcription of other regulatory genes that may compensate for the loss of Hik31. We conclude that Hik31 regulates an important series of genes that relate to energy production and growth and that help to determine how Synechocystis responds to changes in O2 conditions.

Characterization of the substrate-binding PotD subunit in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803

The potD gene encodes the bacterial substrate-binding subunit of the polyamine transport system. The uptake system, which belongs to the ABC transporters, has been characterized in Escherichia coli, but it has not been previously studied in cyanobacteria. Although the overall sequence identity between Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 (hereafter Synechocystis) PotD and Escherichia coli PotD is 24%, the ligand-binding site in the constructed homology model of Synechocystis PotD is well conserved. The conservation of the five polyamine-binding residues (Asp206, Glu209, Trp267, Trp293, and Asp295 in Synechocystis PotD) between these two species indicated polyamine-binding capacity for Synechocystis PotD. The Synechocystis potD gene is functional and its expression is under environmental regulation at transcriptional as well as post-transcriptional levels. Furthermore, an in vitro binding assay with the purified recombinant PotD protein demonstrated that the Synechocystis PotD protein is able to bind polyamines and favors spermidine over putrescine. Finally, we confirmed that Synechocystis PotD plays a physiological role in the uptake of polyamines in vivo using a constructed Synechocystis potD-disruption mutant.

Similarities and singularities of three DnaK proteins from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

In the genome of completely sequenced mesophilic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 three DnaK proteins are encoded, which share a high degree of sequence identity in their N-terminal ATPase region as well as in the adjacent peptide-binding domain. However, as typical for DnaK proteins, the C-termini of the three Synechocystis proteins are highly diverse. To study the functions of the three Synechocystis DnaK proteins in more detail, we have analyzed the abundance of the individual proteins in Synechocystis cells as well as dnaK expression under various stress conditions. The presented results show that all three Synechocystis DnaK proteins interact with the same GrpE nucleotide exchange factor. A comparative analysis indicates that DnaK2 is the most abundant DnaK protein in Synechocystis cells and only the expression of dnaK2 is highly up-regulated under various stress conditions. Finally, we show that a small amino acid motif, which is typically conserved at the very C-terminus of cyanobacterial DnaK3 proteins, is essential for the DnaK3 in vivo function.

Identification of components associated with thermal acclimation of photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

BACKGROUND

Photosystem II (PSII) is the most thermally sensitive component of photosynthesis. Thermal acclimation of this complex activity is likely to be critically important to the ability of photosynthetic organisms to tolerate temperature changes in the environment.

METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS

We have analysed gene expression using whole-genome microarrays and monitored alterations in physiology during acclimation of PSII to elevated growth temperature in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. PSII acclimation is complete within 480 minutes of exposure to elevated temperature and is associated with a highly dynamic transcriptional response. 176 genes were identified and classified into seven distinct response profile groups. Response profiles suggest the existence of an early transient phase and a sustained phase to the acclimation response. The early phase was characterised by induction of general stress response genes, including heat shock proteins, which are likely to influence PSII thermal stability. The sustained phase consisted of acclimation-specific alterations that are involved in other cellular processes. Sustained responses included genes involved in phycobillisome structure and modification, photosynthesis, respiration, lipid metabolism and motility. Approximately 60% of genes with sustained altered expression levels have no known function. The potential role of differentially expressed genes in thermotolerance and acclimation is discussed. We have characterised the acclimation physiology of selected gene 'knockouts' to elucidate possible gene function in the response.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

All mutants show lower PSII rates under normal growth conditions. Basal PSII thermotolerance was affected by mutations in clpB1, cpcC2, hspA, htpG and slr1674. Final PSII thermotolerance was affected by mutations in cpcC2, hik34, hspA and hypA1, suggesting that these gene products play roles in long-term thermal acclimation of PSII.

Stress sensors and signal transducers in cyanobacteria

In living cells, the perception of environmental stress and the subsequent transduction of stress signals are primary events in the acclimation to changes in the environment. Some molecular sensors and transducers of environmental stress cannot be identified by traditional and conventional methods. Based on genomic information, a systematic approach has been applied to the solution of this problem in cyanobacteria, involving mutagenesis of potential sensors and signal transducers in combination with DNA microarray analyses for the genome-wide expression of genes. Forty-five genes for the histidine kinases (Hiks), 12 genes for serine-threonine protein kinases (Spks), 42 genes for response regulators (Rres), seven genes for RNA polymerase sigma factors, and nearly 70 genes for transcription factors have been successfully inactivated by targeted mutagenesis in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Screening of mutant libraries by genome-wide DNA microarray analysis under various stress and non-stress conditions has allowed identification of proteins that perceive and transduce signals of environmental stress. Here we summarize recent progress in the identification of sensory and regulatory systems, including Hiks, Rres, Spks, sigma factors, transcription factors, and the role of genomic DNA supercoiling in the regulation of the responses of cyanobacterial cells to various types of stress.