Substrate specificity and ecological significance of PstS homologs in phosphorus uptake in marine Synechococcus sp. WH8102.

ABSTRACT: Phosphorus, a vital macronutrient, often limits primary productivity in marine environments. Marine Synechococcus strains, including WH8102, rely on high-affinity phosphate-binding proteins (PstS) to scavenge inorganic phosphate in oligotrophic oceans. However, WH8102 possesses three distinct PstS homologs whose substrate specificity and ecological roles are unclear. The three PstS homologs were heterologously expressed and purified to investigate their substrate specificity and binding kinetics. Our study revealed that all three PstS homologs exhibited a high degree of specificity for phosphate but differed in phosphate binding affinities. Notably, PstS1b displayed nearly 10-fold higher binding affinity (K_D = 0.44 µM) compared to PstS1a (K_{D =} 3.3

SUBMITTER: Ranjit P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10846223 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature