Microarray analysis of phosphate regulation in the marine cyanobacterium <i>Synechococcus</i> sp. WH8102

Tetu, Sasha G.; Brahamsha, Bianca; Johnson, Daniel; Tai, Vera; Phillippy, Katherine; Palenik, Brian; Paulsen, Ian T.

doi:10.1038/ismej.2009.31

Cited by 121 publications

(173 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…to metabolize as well as produce Phn compounds may explain why this cyanobacterium is so successful in low-P environments Dyhrman et al, 2007Dyhrman et al, , 2009). Marine unicellular cyanobacteria contain putative Phn transporters and Phnases (Tetu et al, 2009). Marine bacteria including Vibro sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative pathways for phosphonate metabolism in thermophilic cyanobacteria from microbial mats

et al. 2010

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Synechococcus sp. represents an ecologically diverse group of cyanobacteria found in numerous environments, including hot-spring microbial mats, where they are spatially distributed along thermal, light and oxygen gradients. These thermophiles engage in photosynthesis and aerobic respiration during the day, but switch to fermentative metabolism and nitrogen fixation at night. The genome of Synechococcus OS-B 0 , isolated from Octopus Spring (Yellowstone National Park) contains a phn gene cluster encoding a phosphonate (Phn) transporter and a C-P lyase. A closely related isolate, Synechococcus OS-A, lacks this cluster, but contains genes encoding putative phosphonatases (Phnases) that appear to be active only in the presence of the Phn substrate. Both isolates grow well on several different Phns as a sole phosphorus (P) source. Interestingly, Synechococcus OS-B 0 can use the organic carbon backbones of Phns for heterotrophic growth in the dark, whereas in the light this strain releases organic carbon from Phn as ethane or methane (depending on the specific Phn available); Synechococcus OS-A has neither of these capabilities. These differences in metabolic strategies for assimilating the P and C of Phn by two closely related Synechococcus spp. are suggestive of niche-specific constraints in the evolution of nutrient assimilation pathways and syntrophic relationships among the microbial populations of the hotspring mats. Thus, it is critical to evaluate levels of various P sources, including Phn, in thermally active habitats and the potential importance of these compounds in the biogeochemical cycling of P and C (some Phn compounds also contain N) in diverse terrestrial environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative pathways for phosphonate metabolism in thermophilic cyanobacteria from microbial mats

et al. 2010

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“…QPCR was performed on a Qiagen RotorGene-Q with Promega GoTaq qPCR mastermix according to the manufacturer's specifications. Rpoc1 was used as a housekeeping gene, because its expression was high and did not change significantly in any of the expression microarrays datasets available for strain CC9311 or strain WH8102 (Stuart et al, 2009;Tetu et al, 2009).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic island genes in a coastal marine Synechococcus strain confer enhanced tolerance to copper and oxidative stress

et al. 2013

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Highly variable regions called genomic islands are found in the genomes of marine picocyanobacteria, and have been predicted to be involved in niche adaptation and the ecological success of these microbes. These picocyanobacteria are typically highly sensitive to copper stress and thus, increased copper tolerance could confer a selective advantage under some conditions seen in the marine environment. Through targeted gene inactivation of genomic island genes that were known to be upregulated in response to copper stress in Synechococcus sp. strain CC9311, we found two genes (sync_1495 and sync_1217) conferred tolerance to both methyl viologen and copper stress in culture. The prevalence of one gene, sync_1495, was then investigated in natural samples, and had a predictable temporal variability in abundance at a coastal monitoring site with higher abundance in winter months. Together, this shows that genomic island genes can confer an adaptive advantage to specific stresses in marine Synechococcus, and may help structure their population diversity.

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“…The composition and arrangement of genes in the P regulons of marine cyanobacteria appear to be highly variable (Martiny et al, 2006;Scanlan et al, 2009;Tetu et al, 2009). Among available genome sequences PhoBR homologues are conserved in some, but not all, indicating that P sensing and regulation may have been lost in some lineages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PtrA is required for coordinate regulation of gene expression during phosphate stress in a marine Synechococcus

et al. 2010

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Previous microarray analyses have shown a key role for the two-component system PhoBR (SYNW0947, SYNW0948) in the regulation of P transport and metabolism in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. WH8102. However, there is some evidence that another regulator, SYNW1019 (PtrA), probably under the control of PhoBR, is involved in the response to P depletion. PtrA is a member of the cAMP receptor protein transcriptional regulator family that shows homology to NtcA, the global nitrogen regulator in cyanobacteria. To define the role of this regulator, we constructed a mutant by insertional inactivation and compared the physiology of wild-type Synechcococcus sp. WH8102 with the ptrA mutant under P-replete and P-stress conditions. In response to P stress the ptrA mutant failed to upregulate phosphatase activity. Microarrays and quantitative RT-PCR indicate that a subset of the Pho regulon is controlled by PtrA, including two phosphatases, a predicted phytase and a gene of unknown function psip1 (SYNW0165), all of which are highly upregulated during P limitation. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicate binding of overexpressed PtrA to promoter sequences upstream of the induced genes. This work suggests a two-tiered response to P depletion in this strain, the first being PhoBdependent induction of high-affinity PO 4 transporters, and the second the PtrA-dependent induction of phosphatases for scavenging organic P. The levels of numerous other transcripts are also directly or indirectly influenced by PtrA, including those involved in cell-surface modification, metal uptake, photosynthesis, stress responses and other metabolic processes, which may indicate a wider role for PtrA in cellular regulation in marine picocyanobacteria.

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Microarray analysis of phosphate regulation in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. WH8102

Cited by 121 publications

References 59 publications

Alternative pathways for phosphonate metabolism in thermophilic cyanobacteria from microbial mats

Alternative pathways for phosphonate metabolism in thermophilic cyanobacteria from microbial mats

Genomic island genes in a coastal marine Synechococcus strain confer enhanced tolerance to copper and oxidative stress

PtrA is required for coordinate regulation of gene expression during phosphate stress in a marine Synechococcus

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