A putative sensor kinase, Hik31, is involved in the response of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 to the presence of glucose

Shira Kahlon, Karen Beeri, Hiroshi Ohkawa, Yukako Hihara, Omer Murik, Iwane Suzuki, Teruo Ogawa, Aaron Kaplan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

The reason(s) for glucose sensitivity in certain cyanobacterial strains is poorly understood. Inactivation of genes encoding the putative sensor kinase Hik31 in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 resulted in a mutant unable to grow in the presence of D-glucose. Sensitivities to D-glucose, its analogue 2-deOxy-D-glucose, and fructose, were alleviated in mutants in which glcP, encoding the glucose transporter, was inactivated. These data indicate that permeation of these substrates is required to inflict cell death. The mutant Δhik31, and the glucose-sensitive strain of Synechocystis, do not possess glucokinase activity, although a transcript originating from glk, encoding glucokinase, is present. Inactivation of glk led to severe sensitivity to glucose, indicating that the presence of glucose itself, within the cells, inflicted this sensitivity. On the other hand, sensitivity to 2-deoxy-D-glucose was lower in Δglk, thus distinguishing between the effect of glucose itself and that of its analogue, which, in the absence of glucokinase activity, may not be phosphorylated. Addition of glucose led to a small rise in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the wild type, but constitutive activity was observed in the Δhik31 mutant regardless of the presence of glucose. Microarray analyses showed only small changes in the abundance of global transcripts in Synechocystis following glucose addition, but the transcription levels of several genes, including icfG, but not glk, were strongly affected by inactivation of hik31. The mechanism(s) whereby Hik3l is involved in glucose sensing and response is discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)647-655
Number of pages9
JournalMicrobiology
Volume152
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2006

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