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THE RELATION BETWEEN N 2 FIXATION AND H 2 METABOLISM IN THE MARINE FILAMENTOUS NONHETEROCYSTOUS CYANOBACTERIUM LYNGBYA AESTUARII CCY 9616 1
Author(s) -
Ferreira Daniela,
Stal Lucas J.,
MoradasFerreira Pedro,
Mendes Marta V.,
Tamagnini Paula
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2009.00714.x
Subject(s) - nitrogenase , diazotroph , biology , cyanobacteria , transcription (linguistics) , nitrogen fixation , protein subunit , structural gene , gene , biochemistry , enzyme , hydrogenase , bacteria , genetics , escherichia coli , linguistics , philosophy
The marine filamentous nonheterocystous nitrogen‐fixing cyanobacterium Lyngbya aestuarii (F. K. Mert.) Liebman ex Gomont CCY 9616 was grown under diazotrophic and nondiazotrophic conditions and under an alternating 16:8 light:dark (L:D) regime. Nitrogenase activity appeared just before the onset of the dark period, reaching its maximum 1–2 h in the dark, subsequently decreasing to zero at the beginning of the following light period. Nitrogenase activity was only detected at low levels of O 2 (5%) and when the culture was grown in the absence of combined nitrogen. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–PCR (RT‐PCR) analysis of one of the structural genes encoding nitrogenase, nif K, showed that the highest levels of transcription preceded the maximum activity of nitrogenase by 2–4 h. nif K transcription was not completely abolished during the remaining time of the 24 h cycle. Even in the presence of nitrate, when nitrogenase activity was undetectable, nif K was still transcribed. The H 2 ‐uptake activity seemed to follow the nitrogenase, but the transcription of hup L (gene encoding the large subunit of uptake hydrogenase) preceded the nif K transcription. However, H 2 ‐uptake and hup L transcription occurred throughout the 24 h cycle as well as under nondiazotrophic conditions, albeit at much lower levels. The hox H transcript levels (a structural gene coding for the bidirectional hydrogenase) were similar under diazotrophic or nondiazotrophic conditions but slightly higher during the dark period. All three enzymes investigated are involved in H 2 metabolism. It is concluded that the uptake hydrogenase is mainly responsible for H 2 uptake. Nevertheless, uptake hydrogenase and nitrogenase do not seem to be coregulated.