Size of cotA and identification of the gene product in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803

Size of cotA and identification of the gene product in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803.

cotA of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 is a gene involved in light-induced proton extrusion (A. Katoh, M. Sonoda, H. Katoh, and T. Ogawa, J. Bacteriol. 178:5452-5455, 1996). There are two possible initiation codons in cotA, and either long (L-) or short (S-) cotA encoding a protein of 440 or 247 amino acids could be postulated. To determine the gene size, we inserted L-cotA and S-cotA into th...

Phycobilisome assembly in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803

Phycobilisome rod mutants in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803.

The phycobilisome is a large pigment-protein assembly that harvests light energy for photosynthesis. This supramolecular complex is composed of two main structures: a core substructure and peripheral rods. Linker polypeptides assemble phycobiliproteins within these structures and optimize light absorption and energy transfer. Mutations have been constructed in three rod-linker-coding genes loca...

Multiple light inputs control phototaxis in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803.

The phototactic behavior of individual cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 was studied with a glass slide-based phototaxis assay. Data from fluence rate-response curves and action spectra suggested that there were at least two light input pathways regulating phototaxis. We observed that positive phototaxis in wild-type cells was a low fluence response, with peak spectra...

Identification of a gene essential for protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase activity in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803.

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) catalyses the oxidation of protoporphyrinogen IX to protoporphyrin IX during the synthesis of tetrapyrrole molecules. Protox is encoded by the hemY gene in eukaryotes and by the hemG gene in many γ-proteobacteria, including Escherichia coli. It has been suggested that other bacteria possess a yet unidentified type of Protox. To identify a unique bacterial gen...