Organization, evolution, and expression analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster for scytonemin, a cyanobacterial UV-absorbing pigment.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes capable of protecting themselves from UV radiation through the biosynthesis of UV-absorbing secondary metabolites, such as the mycosporines and scytonemin. Scytonemin, a novel indolic-phenolic pigment, is found sequestered in the sheath, where it provides protection to the subtending cells during exposure to UV radiation. The biosynthesis of scytonemin is encoded by a previously identified gene cluster that is present in six cyanobacterial species whose genomes are available. A comparison of these clusters reveals that two major cluster architectures exist which appear to have evolved through rearrangements of large sections, such as those genes responsible for aromatic amino acid biosynthesis and through the insertion of genes that potentially

SUBMITTER: Sorrels CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2708446 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature