title: Hydrogen independent expression of hupSL genes in Thiocapsa roseopersicina BBS.
abstract: The expression of many membrane bound [NiFe] hydrogenases is regulated by their substrate molecule, hydrogen. The HupSL hydrogenase, encoded in the hupSLCDHIR operon, probably plays a role in hydrogen recycling in the phototrophic purple bacterium, Thiocapsa roseopersicina BBS. RpoN, coding for sigma factor 54, was shown to be important for expression, suggesting a regulated biosynthsis from the hup gene cluster. The response regulator gene, hupR, has been identified in the hup operon and expression of hupSL was reduced in a chromosomal hupR mutant, which indicated that HupR was implicated in the activation process. The hupT and hupUV genes were isolated, and show similarity to the histidine kinase element of the H2-driven signal transduction system and to the regulatory hydrogenases of Ralstonia eutropha and Rhodobacter capsulatus, respectively. Although the genes of the entire H2 sensing and regulation system were present, the expression of the hupSL genes was not affected by the presence or absence of H2. Using reverse transcription PCR, we could not detect any mRNA specific to the hupTUV genes in cells grown under diverse conditions. The hupT and hupUV mutant strains had the same phenotype as the wild-type strains. The hupT gene product, expressed from a plasmid, repressed HupSL synthesis as expected while introduction of actively expressed hupTUV genes together derepressed the HupSL activity in T. roseopersicina. The gene product of hupUV behaves similarly to other regulatory hydrogenases and shows H-D exchange activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Akos T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rákhely
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Balogh
authors.forename: Gergely
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maróti
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cournac
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carrier
authors.forename: Lívia S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Mészáros
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peltier
authors.forename: Kornél L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kovács
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D041961:Deuterium Exchange Measurement; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006864:Hydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family; D009876:Operon; D011494:Protein Kinases; D020616:Thiocapsa roseopersicina / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006859:Hydrogen; C043296:nickel-iron hydrogenase; D006864:Hydrogenase; D011494:Protein Kinases; D000071677:Histidine Kinase