Elucidating the direct target regulon of NtcA during the early acclimation to nitrogen starvation in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
PROVIDER: GSE97291 | GEO | 2017/10/01
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA381208
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:In cyanobacteria, nitrogen homeostasis is maintained by an intricate regulatory network around transcription factor NtcA. Although mechanisms controlling NtcA activity appear to be well understood, its regulon remains poorly defined. To determine the NtcA regulon during the early stages of nitrogen starvation for the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation, followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq), in parallel with transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq). Through combining these methods, we determined 51 genes activated and 28 repressed directly by NtcA. In addition to genes associated with nitrogen and carbon metabolism, a considerable number of genes without current functional annotation were among direct targets providing a rich reservoir for further studies. The NtcA regulon also included eight non-coding RNAs, of which Ncr1071, Syr6 and NsiR7 were experimentally validated, and their putative targets were computationally predicted. Surprisingly, we found substantial NtcA binding associated with delayed expression changes indicating that NtcA can reside in a poised state controlled by other factors. Indeed, a role of PipX as modulating factor in nitrogen regulation was confirmed for selected NtcA-targets. We suggest that the indicated poised state of NtcA enables a more differentiated response to nitrogen limitation and can be advantageous in native habitats of Synechocystis.
| S-EPMC5714215 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photoautotrophs responsible for a substantial proportion of nitrogen fixation and primary production in the hydrosphere. Non-nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria, such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, depend of the availability of nitrogenized species to survive. Therefore, an intricate regulatory network around the transcriptional factor NtcA maintains the homeostasis of nitrogen in these organisms. The mechanisms controlling NtcA activity are well understood but a comprehensive study of its regulon is missing in Synechocystis. To define NtcA regulon during the early stage of nitrogen starvation, we have performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChiP-seq), in parallel with genome level transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq). By combining both methods we assigned 51 activated and 28 repressed genes directly by NtcA. Most of direct targets included genes involved in nitrogen and carbon metabolism and photosynthesis. NtcA regulon also included 8 ncRNAs, of which ncr0710, Syr6 and NsiR7 were experimentally validated. Intriguingly, we identified several NtcA intragenic binding sites suggesting that NtcA can modulate transcriptional expression by binding along the whole transcript and not only in the promoter region as previously though. Finally, the transcriptional implication of PipX was analyzed in some NtcA-targets genes, revealing that PipX assists NtcA in the global nitrogen regulation in Synechocystis.
2017-10-01 | GSE97289 | GEO
Project description:Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photoautotrophs responsible for a substantial proportion of nitrogen fixation and primary production in the hydrosphere. Non-nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria, such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, depend of the availability of nitrogenized species to survive. Therefore, an intricate regulatory network around the transcriptional factor NtcA maintains the homeostasis of nitrogen in these organisms. The mechanisms controlling NtcA activity are well understood but a comprehensive study of its regulon is missing in Synechocystis. To define NtcA regulon during the early stage of nitrogen starvation, we have performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChiP-seq), in parallel with genome level transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq). By combining both methods we assigned 51 activated and 28 repressed genes directly by NtcA. Most of direct targets included genes involved in nitrogen and carbon metabolism and photosynthesis. NtcA regulon also included 8 ncRNAs, of which ncr0710, Syr6 and NsiR7 were experimentally validated. Intriguingly, we identified several NtcA intragenic binding sites suggesting that NtcA can modulate transcriptional expression by binding along the whole transcript and not only in the promoter region as previously though. Finally, the transcriptional implication of PipX was analyzed in some NtcA-targets genes, revealing that PipX assists NtcA in the global nitrogen regulation in Synechocystis.
2017-10-01 | GSE97282 | GEO
Project description:Cyanobacteria have shaped the earth's biosphere as the first oxygenic photoautotrophs and still play an important role in many ecosystems. The ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions is an essential characteristic in order to ensure survival. To this end, numerous studies have shown that bacteria use protein post-translational modifications such as Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation in cell signaling, adaptation, and regulation. Nevertheless, our knowledge of cyanobacterial phosphoproteomes and their dynamic response to environmental stimuli is relatively limited. In this study, we applied gel-free methods and high accuracy mass spectrometry toward the detection of Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation events in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. We could identify over 300 phosphorylation events in cultures grown on nitrate as exclusive nitrogen source. Chemical dimethylation labeling was applied to investigate proteome and phosphoproteome dynamics during nitrogen starvation. Our dataset describes the most comprehensive (phospho)proteome of Synechocystis to date, identifying 2382 proteins and 183 phosphorylation events and quantifying 2111 proteins and 148 phosphorylation events during nitrogen starvation. Global protein phosphorylation levels were increased in response to nitrogen depletion after 24 h. Among the proteins with increased phosphorylation, the PII signaling protein showed the highest fold-change, serving as positive control. Other proteins with increased phosphorylation levels comprised functions in photosynthesis and in carbon and nitrogen metabolism. This study reveals dynamics of Synechocystis phosphoproteome in response to environmental stimuli and suggests an important role of protein Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation in fundamental mechanisms of homeostatic control in cyanobacteria.
| S-EPMC4379935 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cyanophycin is a carbon/nitrogen storage polymer widely distributed in most cyanobacterial strains and in a few heterotrophic bacteria. It is a nonribosomal polypeptide consisting of equimolar amounts of aspartate and arginine. Here, we focused on the physiological function and cell biology of cyanophycin in the unicellular nondiazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. To study the cellular localization of the cyanophycin-synthesizing enzyme CphA during cyanophycin synthesis and degradation, we fused it to green fluorescent protein. When CphA was inactive, it localized diffusely in the cytoplasm. When cyanophycin synthesis was triggered, CphA first aggregated into foci and later localized on the surface of cyanophycin granules. In the corresponding cell extracts, localization of CphA on the cyanophycin granule surface required Mg2+ During cyanophycin degradation, CphA dissociated from the granule surface and returned to its inactive form in the cytoplasm. To investigate the physiological role of cyanophycin, we compared wild-type cells with a CphA-deficient mutant. Under standard laboratory conditions, the ability to synthesize cyanophycin did not confer a growth advantage. To mimic the situation in natural habitats, cells were cultured with a fluctuating and limiting nitrogen supplementation and/or day/night cycles. Under all of these conditions, cyanophycin provided a fitness advantage to the wild type over the mutant lacking cyanophycin. During resuscitation from nitrogen starvation, wild-type cells accumulated cyanophycin during the night and used it as an internal nitrogen source during the day. This demonstrates that cyanophycin can be used as a temporary nitrogen storage to uncouple nitrogen assimilation from photosynthesis.IMPORTANCE We clarified the elusive biological function of cyanophycin in the nondiazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Cyanophycin is a dynamic carbon/nitrogen storage polymer (multi-arginyl-l-polyaspartate) that is conditionally present in most cyanobacteria and a few heterotrophic bacteria as cellular inclusion granules. Here, we show that the cyanophycin-synthesizing enzyme CphA in the nonactive state localizes diffusely in the cytoplasm. When cyanophycin synthesis is triggered, active CphA first aggregates into foci and then covers the surface of mature cyanophycin granules, which in vitro requires Mg2+ as a cofactor. Cyanophycin accumulation enables Synechocystis sp. to optimize nitrogen assimilation under nitrogen-poor conditions, in particular when the nitrogen supply fluctuates and during day/night cycles, by allowing continuous nitrogen assimilation and storage. Therefore, cyanophycin provides the wild-type cyanobacterium with a clear fitness advantage over non-cyanophycin-producing cells in natural environments with fluctuating nitrogen supply.
| S-EPMC6182900 | biostudies-other
Project description:The rpoZ gene encodes the small ω subunit of RNA polymerase. A ΔrpoZ strain of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 grew well in standard conditions (constant illumination at 40 µmol photons m(-2) s(-1); 32°C; ambient CO2) but was heat sensitive and died at 40°C. In the control strain, 71 genes were at least two-fold up-regulated and 91 genes down-regulated after a 24-h treatment at 40°C, while in ΔrpoZ 394 genes responded to heat. Only 62 of these heat-responsive genes were similarly regulated in both strains, and 80% of heat-responsive genes were unique for ΔrpoZ. The RNA polymerase core and the primary σ factor SigA were down-regulated in the control strain at 40°C but not in ΔrpoZ. In accordance with reduced RNA polymerase content, the total RNA content of mild-heat-stress-treated cells was lower in the control strain than in ΔrpoZ. Light-saturated photosynthetic activity decreased more in ΔrpoZ than in the control strain upon mild heat stress. The amounts of photosystem II and rubisco decreased at 40°C in both strains while PSI and the phycobilisome antenna protein allophycocyanin remained at the same level as in standard conditions. The phycobilisome rod proteins, phycocyanins, diminished during the heat treatment in ΔrpoZ but not in the control strain, and the nblA1 and nblA2 genes (encode NblA proteins required for phycobilisome degradation) were up-regulated only in ΔrpoZ. Our results show that the ω subunit of RNAP is essential in heat stress because it is required for heat acclimation of diverse cellular processes.
| S-EPMC4227741 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Arsenic is a ubiquitous contaminant and a toxic metalloid which presents two main redox states in nature: arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)]. Arsenic resistance in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 is mediated by the arsBHC operon and two additional arsenate reductases encoded by the arsI1 and arsI2 genes. Here we describe the genome-wide responses to the presence of arsenate and arsenite in wild type and mutants in the arsenic resistance system. Both forms of arsenic produced similar responses in the wild type strain, including induction of several stress related genes and repression of energy generation processes. These responses were transient in the wild type strain but maintained in time in an arsB mutant strain, which lacks the arsenite transporter. In contrast, the responses observed in a strain lacking all arsenate reductases were somewhat different and included lower induction of genes involved in metal homeostasis and Fe-S cluster biogenesis, suggesting that these two processes are targeted by arsenite in the wild type strain. Finally, analysis of the arsR mutant strain revealed that ArsR seems to only control 5 genes in the genome. Furthermore, the arsR mutant strain exhibited hypersentivity to nickel, copper and cadmium and this phenotype was suppressed by mutation in arsB but not in arsC gene suggesting that overexpression of arsB is detrimental in the presence of these metals in the media.
| S-EPMC4010505 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCyanobacteria are phototrophic prokaryotes that convert inorganic carbon as CO2 into organic compounds at the expense of light energy. They need only inorganic nutrients and can be cultivated to high densities using non-arable land and seawater. This has made cyanobacteria attractive organisms for the production of biofuels and chemical feedstock. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is one of the most widely used cyanobacterial model strains. Based on its available genome sequence and genetic tools, Synechocystis has been genetically modified to produce different biotechnological products. Efficient isoprene production is an attractive goal because this compound is widely used as chemical feedstock.ResultsHere, we report on our attempts to generate isoprene-producing strains of Synechocystis using a plasmid-based strategy. As previously reported, a codon-optimized plant isoprene synthase (IspS) was expressed under the control of different Synechocystis promoters that ensure strong constitutive or light-regulated ispS expression. The expression of the ispS gene was quantified by qPCR and Western blotting, while the amount of isoprene was quantified using GC-MS. In addition to isoprene measurements in the headspace of closed culture vessels, single photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SPI-MS) was applied, which allowed online measurements of isoprene production in open-cultivation systems under various conditions. Under standard conditions, a good correlation existed between ispS expression and isoprene production rate. The cultivation of isoprene production strains under NaCl-supplemented conditions decreased isoprene production despite enhanced ispS mRNA levels. The characterization of the metabolome of isoprene-producing strains indicated that isoprene production might be limited by insufficient precursor levels. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of mRNA and regulatory RNAs characteristic of acclimation to metabolic stress.ConclusionsOur best production strains produced twofold higher isoprene amounts in the presence of low NaCl concentrations than previously reported strains. These results will guide future attempts to establish isoprene production in cyanobacterial hosts.
| S-EPMC4836186 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Every cyanobacterial species contains gene encoding site-2-protease (S2P) homolog. The studied prokaryotic S2P homologs play essential roles in regulating stress response through intramembrane proteolysis of membrane-bound anti-sigma factors. Here, gene of Slr0643, one of four S2P homologs in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, was insertionally disrupted to explore its physiological role. Only a partially segregated mutant was obtained, indicating its indispensability for growth. The partially disrupted mutant could not grow at pH 6.5, while wild type acclimated to pH 6.5 quickly. The slr0643 gene expression was transiently induced after pH transfer from 7.5 to 6.5. Both evidences demonstrated the pivotal role of fully functional Slr0643 in acid acclimation. DNA microarray and quantitative RT-PCR analyses decoded genes involved in early acid acclimation and revealed differentially expressed genes due to slr0643 disruption at both pH conditions. Early acid acclimation to pH 6.5 included upregulation of sigH, hik16 and hik35, and downregulation of pcrR and sigG; as well as downregulation of porins and upregulation of inorganic carbon and nitrogen transporters. Defective photosynthesis and excess expression of NADH dehydrogenase, together with over upregulation of carbon transporter and repression of nitrogen transporter and metabolism gene contributed to the acid lethality of mutant at pH 6.5. Most interestingly, analysis of microarray data revealed the close relationship between slr0643 disruption and expression of sigH operon. Therefore it was implied that Slr0643/Sll0857/SigH might acts through S2P/anti-Sigma factor/Sigma factor mechanism to play a role in acid acclimation. M-bM-^@M-^C Loop design was used to compare differential expression of wild type and mutant at pH 7.5 and pH 6.5 respectively, including dye-swape. Biological variation was sampled by extracting RNA from three independent experiments and pooling them together before hybridizations. Two or four replicate chips for each comparison and two replicate printings per chip represent technical repeats.
2012-09-18 | E-GEOD-37747 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Every cyanobacterial species contains gene encoding site-2-protease (S2P) homolog. The studied prokaryotic S2P homologs play essential roles in regulating stress response through intramembrane proteolysis of membrane-bound anti-sigma factors. Here, gene of Slr0643, one of four S2P homologs in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, was insertionally disrupted to explore its physiological role. Only a partially segregated mutant was obtained, indicating its indispensability for growth. The partially disrupted mutant could not grow at pH 6.5, while wild type acclimated to pH 6.5 quickly. The slr0643 gene expression was transiently induced after pH transfer from 7.5 to 6.5. Both evidences demonstrated the pivotal role of fully functional Slr0643 in acid acclimation. DNA microarray and quantitative RT-PCR analyses decoded genes involved in early acid acclimation and revealed differentially expressed genes due to slr0643 disruption at both pH conditions. Early acid acclimation to pH 6.5 included upregulation of sigH, hik16 and hik35, and downregulation of pcrR and sigG; as well as downregulation of porins and upregulation of inorganic carbon and nitrogen transporters. Defective photosynthesis and excess expression of NADH dehydrogenase, together with over upregulation of carbon transporter and repression of nitrogen transporter and metabolism gene contributed to the acid lethality of mutant at pH 6.5. Most interestingly, analysis of microarray data revealed the close relationship between slr0643 disruption and expression of sigH operon. Therefore it was implied that Slr0643/Sll0857/SigH might acts through S2P/anti-Sigma factor/Sigma factor mechanism to play a role in acid acclimation.
2012-09-18 | GSE37747 | GEO