Cyanophycinase is required for heterotrophy in cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Cyanophycin is a biopolymer of arginine (Arg) and aspartate, and it is found in various prokaryotes. Two key enzymes of cyanophycin metabolism are cyanophycin synthase (CphA), producing cyanophycin, and cyanophycinase (CphB), catalyzing the first step of cyanophycin degradation. CphB is a well-conserved enzyme found in the majority of cyanobacteria and ubiquitous amongst those that are known to perform heterotrophy besides their primary photosynthetic lifestyle. Unlike in diazotrophs, where CphB is connected to the mobilization of fixed nitrogen, the importance of this enzyme remains elusive in nondiazotrophs, such as the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The Synechocystis ΔcphB deletion strain does not accumulate cyanophycin and shows no photoautotrophic growth defect. Howe

SUBMITTER: Kiss E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12661447 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature