Phosphate-uptake behaviour of a mutant of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 lacking one protein of the high-affinity phosphate-uptake system

Abstract.

The phosphate-uptake behaviour of a sphX mutant of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis (Raciborski) Komarek, strain PCC 7942 has been studied. This mutant lacks the high-affinity phosphate-binding protein that is abundantly expressed under phosphate-deficient growth conditions. The following observations have been made: (i) The mutant is still capable of utilizing phosphate at nanomolar external concentrations. (ii) Elimination of the sphX gene leads to an increase in the Michaelis constant and the maximum velocity of the initial influx of ³²P-phosphate. (iii) The capacity of the wild type to adapt within a few minutes to a transitory increase in the external phosphate concentration in an energetically efficient way (G. Falkner et al. 1994, C R Acad Sci Paris, Life sciences 317: 535–541) is lost in the mutant. As a result, the mutant can no longer attain pulse-adapted states that reflect in a characteristic way preceding exposures to higher phosphate concentrations.