This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Singh, A. K.
Right arrow Articles by Sherman, L. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Singh, A. K.
Right arrow Articles by Sherman, L. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, April 2005, p. 2368-2376, Vol. 187, No. 7
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.7.2368-2376.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Pleiotropic Effect of a Histidine Kinase on Carbohydrate Metabolism in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 and Its Requirement for Heterotrophic Growth

Abhay K. Singh and Louis A. Sherman*

Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Received 8 September 2004/ Accepted 13 December 2004

The deletion of a gene coding for a histidine kinase (sll0750, Hik8) in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 resulted in a conditional lethal phenotype with a pleiotropic effect on the expression of genes involved in glucose metabolism. This mutant had comparable doubling times to wild type (WT) in continuous-light-grown photoautotrophic and mixotrophic cultures, whereas it grew poorly under mixotrophic conditions with different light and dark cycles. Growth was completely stopped, and cells eventually died, when the light duration was less than 6 h on a 24-h regimen. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that steady-state transcript levels of genes encoding key enzymes of glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and glycogen metabolism were significantly altered in a strain with mutant hik8 ({Delta}hik8) grown with or without glucose. In some cases, differential expression was dependent on growth conditions (photoautotrophic versus mixotrophic). The enzyme activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and phosphofructokinase were significantly reduced in {Delta}hik8 compared to WT. Glycogen determination indicated that {Delta}hik8 accumulated glycogen under mixotrophic conditions but was unable to utilize these reserves for heterotrophic growth. The results suggest that the loss of gap1 transcription in the absence of Hik8 was the key factor that rendered cells unable to catabolize glucose and grow heterotrophically. Additionally, the transcript levels of the phytochrome gene (cph1) and its cotranscribed response regulator gene (rcp1) were significantly reduced and its dark inducibility was lost in {Delta}hik8. The results demonstrated that Hik8 plays an important role in glucose metabolism and is necessary for heterotrophic growth.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 1392 Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Phone: (765) 494-8106. Fax: (765) 496-1496. E-mail: lsherman{at}bilbo.bio.purdue.edu.


Journal of Bacteriology, April 2005, p. 2368-2376, Vol. 187, No. 7
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.7.2368-2376.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Ungerer, J. L., Pratte, B. S., Thiel, T. (2008). Regulation of Fructose Transport and Its Effect on Fructose Toxicity in Anabaena spp.. J. Bacteriol. 190: 8115-8125 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Summerfield, T. C., Sherman, L. A. (2008). Global Transcriptional Response of the Alkali-Tolerant Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 to a pH 10 Environment. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 5276-5284 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Takahashi, H., Uchimiya, H., Hihara, Y. (2008). Difference in metabolite levels between photoautotrophic and photomixotrophic cultures of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 examined by capillary electrophoresis electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. J Exp Bot 59: 3009-3018 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Laurent, S., Jang, J., Janicki, A., Zhang, C.-C., Bedu, S. (2008). Inactivation of spkD, encoding a Ser/Thr kinase, affects the pool of the TCA cycle metabolites in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. Microbiology 154: 2161-2167 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Summerfield, T. C., Sherman, L. A. (2007). Role of Sigma Factors in Controlling Global Gene Expression in Light/Dark Transitions in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803. J. Bacteriol. 189: 7829-7840 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lee, S., Ryu, J.-Y., Kim, S. Y., Jeon, J.-H., Song, J. Y., Cho, H.-T., Choi, S.-B., Choi, D., de Marsac, N. T., Park, Y.-I. (2007). Transcriptional Regulation of the Respiratory Genes in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 during the Early Response to Glucose Feeding. Plant Physiol. 145: 1018-1030 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ashby, M. K., Houmard, J. (2006). Cyanobacterial Two-Component Proteins: Structure, Diversity, Distribution, and Evolution. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 70: 472-509 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sakuragi, Y., Maeda, H., DellaPenna, D., Bryant, D. A. (2006). {alpha}-Tocopherol Plays a Role in Photosynthesis and Macronutrient Homeostasis of the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 That Is Independent of Its Antioxidant Function. Plant Physiol. 141: 508-521 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kahlon, S., Beeri, K., Ohkawa, H., Hihara, Y., Murik, O., Suzuki, I., Ogawa, T., Kaplan, A. (2006). A putative sensor kinase, Hik31, is involved in the response of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 to the presence of glucose.. Microbiology 152: 647-655 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Osanai, T., Imamura, S., Asayama, M., Shirai, M., Suzuki, I., Murata, N., Tanaka, K. (2006). Nitrogen Induction of Sugar Catabolic Gene Expression in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. DNA Res 13: 185-195 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Osanai, T., Kanesaki, Y., Nakano, T., Takahashi, H., Asayama, M., Shirai, M., Kanehisa, M., Suzuki, I., Murata, N., Tanaka, K. (2005). Positive Regulation of Sugar Catabolic Pathways in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by the Group 2 {sigma} Factor SigE. J. Biol. Chem. 280: 30653-30659 [Abstract] [Full Text]