title: Cyanophycin production in a phycoerythrin-containing marine synechococcus strain of unusual phylogenetic affinity.
abstract: Thirty-two strains of phycoerythrin-containing marine picocyanobacteria were screened for the capacity to produce cyanophycin, a nitrogen storage compound synthesized by some, but not all, cyanobacteria. We found that one of these strains, Synechococcus sp. strain G2.1 from the Arabian Sea, was able to synthesize cyanophycin. The cyanophycin extracted from the cells was composed of roughly equimolar amounts of arginine and aspartate (29 and 35 mol%, respectively), as well as a small amount of glutamate (15 mol%). Phylogenetic analysis, based on partial 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence data, showed that Synechococcus sp. strain G2.1 formed a well-supported clade with several strains of filamentous cyanobacteria. It was not closely related to several other well-studied marine picocyanobacteria, including Synechococcus strains PCC7002, WH7805, and WH8018 and Prochlorococcus sp. strain MIT9312. This is the first report of cyanophycin production in a phycoerythrin-containing strain of marine or halotolerant Synechococcus, and its discovery highlights the diversity of this ecologically important functional group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wingard
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Jeanne M L
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sellker
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stenn
authors.forename: Mary M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: A Michelle
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010799:Phycoerythrin / Q000032:analysis*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C024250:cyanophycin; D010799:Phycoerythrin