The role of histidine residues in the catalytic act of cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase from Bacillus circulans var. alkalophilus.

Our previous study on cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) by chemical modification implied the importance of one or two histidine residues in the cyclization reaction of the enzyme. Based on a computer modelled three-dimensional structure of the CGTase, five histidine residues were chosen as targets for the site-directed mutagenesis. The histidine residues 98, 140, 233 and 327 were replaced by aspartate and His-177 by proline using polymerase chain reaction-mediated techniques. The CGTase variants H98D, H140D, H233D and H327D resulted in a profound decrease in the cyclizing and amylolytic activities, while mutation H177P had little influence on the activities but affected the thermal stability and the width of the pH optimum. It is suggested that His-98 functions as (or as a significant part of) the subsite 2 for the binding of the substrate in CGTase and therefore H98D destabilizes the intermediate for cyclization, but does not markedly affect the hydrolytic reactions. Mutants H140D and H233D produced only minor amounts of alpha-cyclodextrin, did not exhibit substrate inhibition with maltotriose and showed non-Michaelis-Menten kinetics. It is proposed that the variants H140D, H233D and H327D cause steric hindrances near the active center, while mutation H177D has similar consequences on the same site spatially.

Expression of psbA genes is regulated at multiple levels in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942.

In cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 the photosystem II reaction-center protein D1 is encoded by three psbA genes. The psbAI gene encodes D1:1 protein, the form used for acclimated growth, and psbAII and psbAIII genes encode the stress-induced form, D1:2 protein. Strong light and low temperature have been shown to induce the expression of psbAII/III genes and down-regulate the expression of psbAI gene. Recently, we reported the involvement of reduced thiols in the up-regulation of psbAII/III genes. In this study, we have analyzed the regulation of psbA gene expression in Synechococcus further, at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. We show that the inhibitors of the photosynthetic electron-transfer chain, which have different effects on the redox state of the plastoquinone (PQ) pool, have similar effect on the transcription of psbA genes. The inhibitors 3-(3,4 dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) and 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone (DBMIB) do not cause any changes in psbA gene expression when added under low-light conditions, but dramatically reduce the high-light induction of psbAII/III genes when added upon a high-light shift. Moreover, when the thiol reductant, dithiothreitol, is added to Synechococcus cells together with DCMU concomitant with the high-light shift, no inhibition of psbAII/III gene up-regulation takes place, indicating that the thiol redox state rather than the redox state of the PQ pool regulates psbA gene transcription. We also provide evidence for post-transcriptional regulation of psbA gene expression, particularly, inhibition of translation of psbAI transcripts at high light, and demonstrate that the D1 protein synthesis and degradation processes are coregulated in Synechococcus.

Thiol redox state regulates expression of psbA genes in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942.

Three psbA genes encode two different forms of the photosystem II reaction centre protein D1 in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. The psbAI gene encoding D1 protein form I (D1:1) is mainly expressed under low growth light conditions while the psbAII and psbAIII genes, encoding D1 protein form II (D1:2), are induced under stress conditions (e.g. high light or low temperature). In this paper we show that psbAII/III genes can be rapidly induced even under low growth light conditions by adding the thiol reductant (DTTred) to Synechococcus cell culture, at a concentration that does not affect cell growth or photosynthetic activity. Similar induction of psbAII/III genes was obtained by illuminating the cells with photosystem I light. In both instances psbAI gene down-regulation coincided with the up-regulation of psbAII/III genes. DTTred-induced exchange in transcript pools was subsequently followed by an exchange of D1:1 for D1:2 at the protein level. Thiol oxidants, iodosobenzoic acid or diamide, reverted the effects of DTTred on psbA gene expression. Thiol oxidants and the thiol-modifying agent N-ethylmaleimide also totally prevented high-light induction of psbAII/III genes. These data strongly suggest that the up-regulation of psbAII/III genes that occurs under stress conditions is mediated by production of thiol reductants, whereas the expression of the psbAI gene is sustained by the more oxidizing conditions that prevail during the steady-state growth of cells.

Substitution of Ala-251 of the D1 reaction centre polypeptide with a charged residue results in impaired function of photosystem II.

Ala-251 in the membrane-parallel helix in the D-E loop of the D1 polypeptide close to the Q(B) pocket of photosystem II (PS II), was mutated to aspartate (D), lysine (K), leucine (L) or serine (S) in Synechocystis 6803. O2 evolution rates (H2O-->DCBQ; 2,6-dichloro-p-benzoquinone) of A251D, A251L and A251S were lower, being 38, 16, 62 and 70%, respectively, of that of the control, and there was an even more drastic impairment of O2 evolution when measured from H2O to DMBQ (2,5-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone), demonstrating modifications in the Q(B) pocket. However, in all other mutants but A251K, the Q(B) function could sustain O2 evolution at a level high enough to support photosynthetic growth. The mutant A251S, carrying a substitution of alanine for a chemically quite similar residue serine, was less severely affected. Substitution by a positively charged residue drastically delayed chlorophyll a fluorescence relaxation in the non-photosynthetic strain A251K, implying strong impairment of Q(A)-to-Q(B) electron transfer. Delay of fluorescence relaxation was clear in A251D as well, carrying a substitution of alanine for a negatively charged residue. The effects of the substitutions of A251 demonstrate the importance of this residue of the D1 polypeptide in the conformation of the acceptor side of PS II and, accordingly, the effect on the acceptor-side function of PS II was very clear. Nevertheless, the tolerance of PS II activity to high-light-induced photoinhibition in vivo and the subsequent D1 degradation were not much impaired in any of the photosynthetic mutant strains as compared to the control.

Expression of psbA genes produces prominent 5' psbA mRNA fragments in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942.

Expression of the psbA genes, which in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 encode two different forms of the reaction centre D1 protein of photosystem II (D1:1 and D1:2), was studied under different light and temperature conditions. In addition to the mature 1200 nt psbA messages, three shorter mRNA fragments of 220, 320 and 900 nt were also found. All three mRNA fragments could be recognized by using different gene probes from the coding region of the psbAI gene, whereas the corresponding psbAII/III gene probes recognized only the 220 nt mRNA fragment. The 5' 320 nt mRNA fragment from the psbAI gene probably represents a degradation product, since the corresponding 3' 900 nt psbAI mRNA fragment was also detected. By contrast, the 5' 220 nt mRNA fragment of all psbA messages is suggested to be a truncated psbA transcript, since no corresponding 3' fragment was ever found. Inhibition of translation either by a protein synthesis inhibitor or by a shift of cells to lower temperature, increased the number of 1200 nt psbAII/III messages but the number of 5' 220 nt psbAII/III mRNA fragment increased even more dramatically. The first 66 bp after ATG, where the psbAI and psbAII/III genes mostly differ from each other, also appeared important in determining the amount of produced truncated psbA transcripts, as evidenced by the expression of different tac-psbA constructs in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitor. We suggest that both the psbAI and the psbAII/III genes have a latent intragenic termination site and truncated psbA transcripts are produced at high levels under stress conditions when transcription becomes uncoupled from translation. This is to prevent wasting metabolic energy in the production of unused transcripts.

A genetically engineered increase in fatty acid unsaturation in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 allows exchange of D1 protein forms and sustenance of photosystem II activity at low temperature.

Photosystem II (PSII)-reaction-center protein D1 is encoded by three psbA genes in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. The psbAI gene encodes D1 form I (D1:1) and the psbAII and psbAIII genes encode the transiently expressed D1 form II (D1:2). We have studied the role of membrane-lipid unsaturation in the expression of psbA genes at low temperature, using a Synechococcus transformant with an increased unsaturation level of membrane lipids. Transfer of the cells from 32 degrees C to 25 degrees C under growth light resulted in the exchange of D1:1, the prevailing form, for D1:2 in the wild-type bacterium and the transformant, with no loss of PSII activity. Lowering the temperature further to 18 degrees C caused a drastic decrease in PSII activity in the wild-type bacterium, whereas the transformant was much less affected. Similar decreases in psbAI transcripts and loss of D1:1 occurred in both strains at 18 degrees C, with concomitant accumulation of psbAII/III transcripts, the latter event being especially prominent in the wild-type bacterium. However, the wild-type bacterium was incapable of accumulating D1:2 to compensate for the loss of D1:1, which resulted in disassembly of PSII at low temperature. These results imply translational rather than transcriptional regulation of psbA gene expression in Synechococcus 7942 at low temperature, and demonstrate the crucial role of the degree of membrane-lipid unsaturation in promotion of exchange of the D1 protein forms and thus the sustenance of PSII function at low temperature.