Halotolerant cyanobacterium Aphanothece halophytica contains NapA-type Na+/H+ antiporters with novel ion specificity that are involved in salt tolerance at alkaline pH.

ABSTRACT: Aphanothece halophytica is a halotolerant alkaliphilic cyanobacterium which can grow at NaCl concentrations up to 3.0 M and at pH values up to 11. The genome sequence revealed that the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 contains five putative Na+/H+ antiporters, two of which are homologous to NhaP of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and three of which are homologous to NapA of Enterococcus hirae. The physiological and functional properties of NapA-type antiporters are largely unknown. One of NapA-type antiporters in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 has been proposed to be essential for the survival of this organism. In this study, we examined the isolation and characterization of the homologous gene in Aphanothece halophytica. Two genes encoding polypeptides of the same size, designat

SUBMITTER: Wutipraditkul N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1183346 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature