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Over-expression of Alr4642, a novel Prx-like peroxiredoxin, defends the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC7120 from oxidative stress

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Abstract

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs), proteins that detoxify peroxides, are ubiquitously present in all organisms. In the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC7120, ORF alr4642 encodes a protein that shows homology to Prx-like family of Prxs. The role of Alr4642 in the oxidative stress management of Anabaena was evaluated in this study. Sequence analysis showed the presence of another methionine residue, 35 amino acids away from the first annotated methionine. The similarity of Alr4642 with the other Prx-like proteins was observed only from the second methionine residue. When over-expressed in Escherichia coli, both Alr4642 and AlrT4642 (truncated Alr4642, initiating from the second methionine) remained insoluble and could not be purified. Interestingly, expression of the complete alr4642 ORF in Anabaena led to the production of the AlrT4642 protein, suggesting that the second ATG was the actual in vivo start codon of alr4642 in Anabaena. When over-expressed in Anabaena, AlrT4642 (with a C-terminal His-tag) remained soluble and could be purified by affinity chromatography. The purified AlrT4642 protected the plasmid DNA from oxidative damage whereas Anabaena cells over-expressing AlrT4642 showed improved resistance to H2O2 than the wild type. These data indicate that AlrT4642 is indeed an antioxidant protein that is capable of defending Anabaena from oxidative stress and suggest that over-expression of Prx-like proteins may be an effective method to improve stress resistance in cyanobacteria. This is the first report wherein a Prx-like family protein has been functionally characterized.

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Acknowledgments

Fellowship provided by Homi Bhabha National Institute to Vijay Tailor is gratefully acknowledged. We wish to thank Dr. S. K. Apte for constant encouragement and Dr. Manisha Banerjee for the helpful suggestions during the course of this study. This work was funded by the XI plan project of DAE, India.

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  1. Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India

    Vijay Tailor & Anand Ballal

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  1. Vijay Tailor
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  2. Anand Ballal
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Correspondence to Anand Ballal.

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Tailor, V., Ballal, A. Over-expression of Alr4642, a novel Prx-like peroxiredoxin, defends the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC7120 from oxidative stress. J Appl Phycol 27, 2261–2270 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0503-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0503-3

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