1887

Abstract

Phycobilisomes (PBS) are the major light-harvesting complexes of cyanobacteria. These usually blue-coloured multiprotein assemblies are rapidly degraded when the organisms are starved for combined nitrogen. This proteolytic process causes a colour change of the cyanobacterial cells from blue-green to yellow-green (‘bleaching’). As is well documented for the unicellular, non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria PCC 7942 and sp. PCC 6803, a gene termed plays a key role in PBS degradation. Filamentous, diazotrophic cyanobacteria like adapt to nitrogen deprivation by differentiation of N-fixing heterocysts. However, during the first hours after nitrogen deprivation all cells degrade their PBS. When heterocysts mature and nitrogenase becomes active, vegetative cells resynthesize their light-harvesting complexes while in heterocysts the phycobiliprotein content remains very low. Expression and function of in sp. PCC 7120 was investigated. This strain has two homologous genes, one on the chromosome () and one on plasmid delta (). Northern blot analysis indicated that only the chromosomal gene is up-regulated upon nitrogen starvation. Mutants with interrupted and genes, respectively, grew on N and developed functional heterocysts. Mutant Δ behaved like the wild-type. However, mutant Δ was unable to degrade its PBS, which was most obvious in non-bleaching heterocysts. The results show that NblA, encoded by the chromosomal gene, is required for PBS degradation in but is not essential for heterocyst differentiation.

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2004-08-01
2024-03-29
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