The biogenesis of the cyanellae of Cyanophora paradoxa. II. Pulse-labelling of cyanellar polypeptides in the presence of transcriptional and translational inhibitors

Auxiliary functions of the PsbO, PsbP and PsbQ proteins of higher plant Photosystem II: a critical analysis

Numerous studies over the last 25 years have established that the extrinsic PsbO, PsbP and PsbQ proteins of Photosystem II play critically important roles in maintaining optimal manganese, calcium and chloride concentrations at the active site of Photosystem II. Chemical or genetic removal of these components induces multiple and profound defects in Photosystem II function and oxygen-evolving complex stability. Recently, a number of studies have indicated possible additional roles for these proteins within the photosystem. These include putative enzymatic activities, regulation of reaction center protein turnover, modulation of thylakoid membrane architecture, the mediation of PS II assembly/stability, and effects on the reducing side of the photosystem. In this review we will critically examine the findings which support these auxiliary functions and suggest additional lines of investigations which could clarify the nature of the functional interactions of these proteins with the photosystem.

Isolation and characterization of thylakoid membranes from the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme

Nostoc punctiforme strain Pasteur Culture Collection (PCC) 73102, a sequenced filamentous cyanobacterium capable of nitrogen fixation, is used as a model organism for characterization of bioenergetic processes during nitrogen fixation in Nostoc. A protocol for isolating thylakoid membranes was developed to examine the biochemical and biophysical aspects of photosynthetic electron transfer. Thylakoids were isolated from filaments of N. punctiforme by pneumatic pressure-drop lysis. The activity of photosynthetic enzymes in the isolated thylakoids was analysed by measuring oxygen evolution activity, fluorescence spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Electron transfer was found functional in both PSII and PSI. Electron transfer measurements in PSII, using diphenylcarbazide as electron donor and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol as electron acceptor, showed that 80% of the PSII centres were active in water oxidation in the final membrane preparation. Analysis of the membrane protein complexes was made by 2D gel electrophoresis, and identification of representative proteins was made by mass spectrometry. The ATP synthase, several oligomers of PSI, PSII and the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH)-1L and NDH-1M complexes, were all found in the gels. Some differences were noted compared with previous results from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Two oligomers of PSII were found, monomeric and dimeric forms, but no CP43-less complexes. Both dimeric and monomeric forms of Cyt b(6)/f could be observed. In all, 28 different proteins were identified, of which 25 are transmembrane proteins or membrane associated ones.

Possible roles of sulfur-containing amino acids in a chemoautotrophic bacterium-mollusc symbiosis

Invertebrate hosts of chemoautotrophic symbionts face the unique challenge of supplying their symbionts with hydrogen sulfide while avoiding its toxic effects. The sulfur-containing free amino acids taurine and thiotaurine may function in sulfide detoxification by serving as sulfur storage compounds or as transport compounds between symbiont and host. After sulfide exposure, both taurine and thiotaurine levels increased in the gill tissues of the symbiotic coastal bivalve Solemya velum. Inhibition of prokaryotic metabolism with chloramphenicol, inhibition of eukaryotic metabolism with cycloheximide, and inhibition of ammonia assimilation with methionine sulfoximine reduced levels of sulfur-containing amino acids. Chloramphenicol treatment inhibited the removal of sulfide from the medium. In the absence of metabolic inhibitors, estimated rates of sulfide incorporation into taurine and thiotaurine accounted for nearly half of the sulfide removed from the medium. In contrast, amino acid levels in the nonsymbiotic, sulfide-tolerant molluscs Geukensia demissa and Yoldia limatula did not change after sulfide exposure. These findings suggest that sulfur-containing amino acids function in sulfide detoxification in symbiotic invertebrates, and that this process depends upon ammonia assimilation and symbiont metabolic capabilities.

Partial purification and characterization of the DNA polymerase from the cyanelles of Cyanophora paradoxa

A DNA polymerase was partially purified and characterized from the photosynthetic organelles (cyanelles) of the protist, Cyanophora paradoxa. While cyanelles have several cyanobacterial features, such as a lysozyme-sensitive cell wall, unstacked thylakoids and light harvesting phycobilisomes, their genome size and structure resemble those of chloroplasts, suggesting that cyanelles occupy a unique intermediate position between chloroplasts and their phylogenetic ancestors, the cyanobacteria. When comparing the biochemical characteristics of the cyanelle DNA polymerase to those of its counterparts from higher plant chloroplasts and from a cyanobacterium, it is clear that the cyanelle enzyme resembles chloroplast DNA polymerases which are eukaryotic gamma-type enzymes.

The biogenesis of the cyanellae of Cyanophora paradoxa. III. In vitro synthesis of cyanellar polypeptides using separated cytoplasmic and cyanellar RNA

RNA from Cyanophora paradoxa was separated into cytoplasmic and cyanellar fractions by using a combination of subcellular fractionation and oligo-dT chromatography. In vitro translation of the separated cytoplasmic and cyanellar RNAs in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system in the presence of [35S]methionine resulted in the incorporation of radiolabel into electrophoretically distinct sets of polypeptides. Monospecific and polyspecific antibodies that react with cyanellar polypeptides were used to probe the in vitro translation products by indirect immunoprecipitation by using Staphylococcus protein A conjugated to Sepharose beads. The results indicate that linker polypeptide L1 of the phycobilisome, the gamma subunit of coupling factor CF1, and subunit II of PS I are synthesized in the cytoplasm as precursor molecules that are 5-8 kDa larger than their mature sizes. Antibodies directed against the psbA gene product (the D1 protein) precipitated a polypeptide found in the translation products of the cyanellar RNA-directed reactions, which is about 1.5 kDa larger than the mature protein.