Alanine dehydrogenase activity is required for adequate progression of phycobilisome degradation during nitrogen starvation in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942.

ABSTRACT: Degradation of the cyanobacterial light-harvesting antenna, the phycobilisome, is a general acclimation response that is observed under various stress conditions. In this study we identified a novel mutant of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 that exhibits impaired phycobilisome degradation specifically during nitrogen starvation, unlike previously described mutants, which exhibit aberrant degradation under nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus starvation conditions. The phenotype of the new mutant, AldOmega, results from inactivation of ald (encoding alanine dehydrogenase). AldOmega is deficient in transcription induction of a number of genes during nitrogen starvation. These genes include the "general nutrient stress-related" genes, nblA and nblC, the products of which are essential for phycob

SUBMITTER: Lahmi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1539948 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature