title: Sucrose is involved in the diazotrophic metabolism of the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp.
abstract: Sucrose synthase (SuS) expression was studied in the filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7119. SuS activity, SusA polypeptide, and susA mRNA levels were lower in cells cultured diazotrophically than in the presence of combined nitrogen. An insertional susA mutant presented a dramatic increase in sucrose levels, whereas the disaccharide was not detectable in a susA overexpressing strain, indicating that SusA is involved in the cleavage of sucrose in vivo. Diazotrophic growth was impaired in the susA overexpressing strain, suggesting a role for sucrose in diazotrophic metabolism and the involvement of SusA in the control of carbon flux in the N(2)-fixing filament.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, FIBA, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Curatti
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salerno
mesh_terms: D017033:Anabaena / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013395:Sucrose; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C022699:sucrose synthase; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C058484:neopullulanase; D009584:Nitrogen