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Volume 146, Issue 11

Stress responses of sp. strain PCC 6803 mutants impaired in genes encoding putative alternative sigma factors Free

Abstract

In the complete genome sequence of the cyanobacterium sp. strain PCC 6803 [Kaneko (1996 ). 3, 109–136] genes were identified encoding putative group 3 σ-factors SigH (Sll-0856), SigG (Slr-1545) and SigF (Slr-1564) and the regulatory protein RsbU (Slr-2031). Mutations in these genes were generated by interposon mutagenesis to study their importance in stress acclimation. For the genes , and , the loci segregated completely. However, attempts to mutagenize the locus resulted in merodiploids. Under standard growth conditions only minor differences were detected between the mutants and wild-type. However, cells of the RsbU mutant showed a clear defect in regenerating growth after a nitrogen- and sulphur-starvation-induced stationary phase. After applying salt, heat and high-light shocks, stress protein synthesis was analysed by means of one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis. Cells of the SigF mutant showed a severe defect in the induction of salt stress proteins. Although the acclimation to moderate salt stress up to 684 mM NaCl was not significantly changed in this mutant, its ability to acclimate to higher concentrations of NaCl was reduced. Northern blot experiments showed a constitutive expression of the and genes. The expression of the gene was found to be stress-stimulated, particularly in heat-shocked cells, whilst that of was transiently decreased under stress conditions. Possible functions of these regulatory proteins in stress acclimation of cells are discussed.

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Keyword(s): 1D, one-dimensional , 2D, two-dimensional , cyanobacteria , environmental stress , Km, kanamycin , PSII, photosystem II , sigma factors , stationary phase , stress proteins and WT, wild-type
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2000-11-01
2024-04-25
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Stress responses of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 mutants impaired in genes encoding putative alternative sigma factors
Microbiology 146, 2877 (2000); https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-146-11-2877
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-11-2877
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-11-2877
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