Abstract
The presence of two completely unrelated ζ-carotene desaturases CrtQa and CrtQb in some Nostoc strains is unique. CrtQb is the ζ-carotene desaturase, which was acquired by almost all cyanobacteria. The additional CrtQa can be regarded as an evolutionary relict of the CrtI desaturase present in non-photosynthetic bacteria. By reconstruction of the carotene desaturation pathway, we showed that both enzymes from Nostoc PCC 7120 were active. However, they differed in their preferred utilization of ζ-carotene Z isomers. CrtQa converted ζ-carotene isomers that were poorly metabolized by CrtQb. In this respect, CrtQa complemented the reactions of CrtQb, which is an advantage avoiding dead ends in the poly-cis desaturation pathway. In addition to ζ-carotene desaturation, CrtQa still possesses the Z to E isomerase function of the ancestral desaturase CrtI. Biochemical characterization showed that CrtQb is an enzyme with one molecule of tightly bound FAD and acts as a dehydrogenase transferring hydrogen to oxidized plastoquinone.
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Communicated by Gregory Cook.
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Breitenbach, J., Bruns, M. & Sandmann, G. Contribution of two ζ-carotene desaturases to the poly-cis desaturation pathway in the cyanobacterium Nostoc PCC 7120. Arch Microbiol 195, 491–498 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-013-0899-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-013-0899-1