Project description:To investigate acclimation mechanisms employed under extreme high light conditions, gene expression analysis was performed using the model microalgae Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (PCC 6803) cultured under various light intensities. From the low to the mid light conditions, the expression of genes related to light harvesting systems was repressed, whereas that of CO2 fixation and of D1 protein turnover-related genes was induced. Gene expression data also revealed that the down-regulation of genes related to flagellum synthesis (pilA2), pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase (pntA and pntB), and sigma factor (sigA and sigF) represents acclimation mechanisms of PCC 6803 under excessive high light conditions.
Project description:Like many other organisms, cyanobacteria exhibit rhythmic gene expression with a period length of 24 hours to adapt to daily environmental changes. In the model organism Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 the central oscillator consists of three proteins: KaiA, KaiB and KaiC and utilizes the histidine kinase SasA and its response regulator RpaA as output-signaling pathway. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 contains two additional homologs of the kaiB and kaiC genes. Here we demonstrate that RpaA interacts with the core oscillator KaiAB1C1 of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 via SasA, similar to Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. However, interaction with the additional Kai homologs was not detected, suggesting different signal transduction components for the clock homologs. Inactivation of rpaA in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, lead to reduced viability of the mutant in light-dark cycles that aggravated under mixotrophic growth conditions. Chemoheterotrophic growth in the dark was abolished completely. In accordance, transcriptomic data revealed that RpaA is involved in the regulation of genes related to CO2‑acclimation and carbon metabolism under diurnal light conditions. Further, our results indicate that RpaA functions in the posttranslational regulation of glycogen metabolism as well, and a potential link between the circadian clock and motility was identified.
Project description:SliP4 is a small, 37 amino acids protein that is strongly induced when the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is exposed to high-light conditions. Deletion mutants of the sliP4 gene manifest a light-sensitive phenotype due to impaired cyclic electron flow and state transitions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the consequences of SliP4 deficiency on the process of high-light acclimation. The sliP4 deletion mutant demonstrated a complete gene regulatory response 30 minutes after the light intensity was increased from 50 to 250 μmol photons m-2 s-1, a process that was mediated by the RpaB-PsrR1 system. However, after the shift to high light, the mutant increased the production of extracellular polysaccharides and the cells began to aggregate, thereby effectively reducing the potential impact of light stress effects caused by the impaired capacity for cyclic electron flow and state transitions. This effect included the upregulation of xssA-E and xssN-P genes for the production of the sulfated exopolysaccharide synechan. Our results demonstrate that the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis attempts to compensate for the crucial role of SliP4 by activating a population-level response to cope with light stress conditions, thereby revealing several genes involved in this response.
Project description:The model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was used for a systematic survey of differential expression with a focus on antisense (as)RNAs and non-coding (nc)RNAs. A microarray was constucted with on average 5 probes for each transcript known thus far, including ncRNAs and asRNAs. The resulting 20,431 individual probes are duplicated on the array (Agilent 4x44k custom array) representing a technical replicate. Hybridization of this array with total RNA isolated from cultures raised under different growth conditions identified transcripts from intergenic spacers and in antisense orientation to known genes (natural cis-asRNAs) with differential expression compared to control hybridizations. This shows the involvement of such transcripts in the regulation of adaptation to various stresses.
Project description:Regulation of gene expression is a sophisticated process leading to the activation or suppression of genes due to adaptation to environmental stimuli. The membrane-embedded FtsH proteases conserved in bacteria, chloroplasts and mitochondria, are involved in such regulation. The genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 encodes four FtsH homologues FtsH1-4, functioning in the form of oligomeric complexes. Homologue FtsH3 is bound in two hetero-oligomeric complexes, FtsH1/FstH3 and/or FtsH2/FtsH3, respectively. Previous data showed that the FtsH1/FtsH3 complex is involved in the acclimation of cells to iron deficiency by controlling the availability of the transcriptional regulator Fur (Sll0567). To gain more comprehensive insight into the physiological role of FtsH hetero-complexes, we carried out genome-wide expression profiling of a mutant conditionally depleted in FtsH3, grown under nutrient sufficiency and iron depletion. Our results show, that besides Fur, also the SufR and Pho regulons belong to the set of genes controlled by FtsH. Moreover, by combining the transcriptome data with in silico prediction we identified novel targets of Fur in Synechocystis PCC 6803. Fur tends to evoke mostly repression, but also appears to activate some target genes.
Project description:The model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was used for a systematic survey of differential expression with a focus on antisense (as)RNAs and non-coding (nc)RNAs. A microarray was constucted with on average 5 probes for each transcript known thus far, including ncRNAs and asRNAs. The resulting 20,431 individual probes are duplicated on the array (Agilent 4x44k custom array) representing a technical replicate. Hybridization of this array with total RNA isolated from cultures raised under different growth conditions identified transcripts from intergenic spacers and in antisense orientation to known genes (natural cis-asRNAs) with differential expression compared to control hybridizations. This shows the involvement of such transcripts in the regulation of adaptation to various stresses. 12 RNA hybridizations (1 control & 3 stress conditions, 3 times each)