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Title: A Ubiquitously Conserved Cyanobacterial Protein Phosphatase Essential for High Light Tolerance in a Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium

Abstract

Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, the fastest-growing cyanobacterial strain known, optimally grows under extreme high light (HL) intensities of 1,500–2,500 μmol photons m-2 s-1, which is lethal to most other photosynthetic microbes. We leveraged the few genetic differences between Synechococcus 2973 and the HL sensitive strain Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 to unravel factors essential for the high light tolerance. We identified a novel protein in Synechococcus 2973 that we have termed HltA for $$\underline{H}$$igh light tolerance protein $$\underline{A}$$. Using bioinformatic tools, we determined that HltA contains a functional PP2C-type protein phosphatase domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the PP2C domain belongs to the bacterial-specific Group II family and is closely related to the environmental stress response phosphatase RsbU. Additionally, we showed that unlike any previously described phosphatases, HltA contains a single N-terminal regulatory GAF domain. We found hltA to be ubiquitous throughout cyanobacteria, indicative of its potentially important role in the photosynthetic lifestyle of these oxygenic phototrophs. Mutations in the hltA gene resulted in severe defects specific to high light growth. These results provide evidence that hltA is a key factor in the tolerance of Synechococcus 2973 to high light and will open new insights into the mechanisms of cyanobacterial light stress response.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF); Washington University in St. Louis
OSTI Identifier:
1873197
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1904569
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-99ER20350; MCB 2037887
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Microbiology Spectrum
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Microbiology Spectrum Journal Volume: 10 Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 2165-0497
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; cyanobacteria; high light; stress tolerance; serine/threonine phosphatases

Citation Formats

Walker, Patricia L., Pakrasi, Himadri B., and Youssef, ed., Noha H. A Ubiquitously Conserved Cyanobacterial Protein Phosphatase Essential for High Light Tolerance in a Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium. United States: N. p., 2022. Web. doi:10.1128/spectrum.01008-22.
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Walker, Patricia L., Pakrasi, Himadri B., & Youssef, ed., Noha H. A Ubiquitously Conserved Cyanobacterial Protein Phosphatase Essential for High Light Tolerance in a Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium. United States. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01008-22
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Walker, Patricia L., Pakrasi, Himadri B., and Youssef, ed., Noha H. Wed . "A Ubiquitously Conserved Cyanobacterial Protein Phosphatase Essential for High Light Tolerance in a Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium". United States. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01008-22.
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@article{osti_1873197,
title = {A Ubiquitously Conserved Cyanobacterial Protein Phosphatase Essential for High Light Tolerance in a Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium},
author = {Walker, Patricia L. and Pakrasi, Himadri B. and Youssef, ed., Noha H.},
abstractNote = {Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, the fastest-growing cyanobacterial strain known, optimally grows under extreme high light (HL) intensities of 1,500–2,500 μmol photons m-2 s-1, which is lethal to most other photosynthetic microbes. We leveraged the few genetic differences between Synechococcus 2973 and the HL sensitive strain Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 to unravel factors essential for the high light tolerance. We identified a novel protein in Synechococcus 2973 that we have termed HltA for $\underline{H}$igh light tolerance protein $\underline{A}$. Using bioinformatic tools, we determined that HltA contains a functional PP2C-type protein phosphatase domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the PP2C domain belongs to the bacterial-specific Group II family and is closely related to the environmental stress response phosphatase RsbU. Additionally, we showed that unlike any previously described phosphatases, HltA contains a single N-terminal regulatory GAF domain. We found hltA to be ubiquitous throughout cyanobacteria, indicative of its potentially important role in the photosynthetic lifestyle of these oxygenic phototrophs. Mutations in the hltA gene resulted in severe defects specific to high light growth. These results provide evidence that hltA is a key factor in the tolerance of Synechococcus 2973 to high light and will open new insights into the mechanisms of cyanobacterial light stress response.},
doi = {10.1128/spectrum.01008-22},
journal = {Microbiology Spectrum},
number = 4,
volume = 10,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2022},
month = {Wed Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2022}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01008-22
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