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Two unique cyanobacteria lead to a traceable approach of the first appearance of oxygenic photosynthesis

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Abstract

The evolutionary route from anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria to oxygenic cyanobacteria is discontinuous in terms of photochemical/photophysical reaction systems. It is difficult to describe this transition process simply because there are no recognized intermediary organisms between the two bacterial groups. Gloeobacter violaceus PCC 7421 might be a model organism that is suitable for analysis because it still possesses primordial characteristics such as the absence of thylakoid membranes. Whole genome analysis and biochemical and biophysical surveys of G. violaceus have favored the hypothesis that it is an intermediary organism. On the other hand, species differentiation is an evolutionary process that could be driven by changes in a small number of genes, and this process might give fair information more in details by monitoring of those genes. Comparative studies of genes, including those in Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017, have provided information relevant to species differentiation; in particular, the acquisition of a new pigment, chlorophyll d, and changes in amino acid sequences have been informative. Here, based on experimental evidence from these two species, we discuss some of the evolutionary pathways for the appearance and differentiation of cyanobacteria.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

Chlorophyll

MQ:

Menaquinone

PS:

Photosystem

RC:

Reaction center

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. A. Tanaka, Hokkaido University, and Dr. A. Murakami, Kobe University, for discussion and comments on the MS. This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Creative Scientific Research (No. 17GS0314) from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and by Scientific Research on Priority Areas “Comparative Genomics” (No’s 17018022 and 18017016) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), Japan, to MM, and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 19614007) from MEXT to T. Tomo.

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  1. Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Mamoru Mimuro & Tohru Tsuchiya

  2. Hall of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Mamoru Mimuro, Tatsuya Tomo & Tohru Tsuchiya

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  1. Mamoru Mimuro
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  2. Tatsuya Tomo
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  3. Tohru Tsuchiya
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Correspondence to Mamoru Mimuro.

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Mimuro, M., Tomo, T. & Tsuchiya, T. Two unique cyanobacteria lead to a traceable approach of the first appearance of oxygenic photosynthesis. Photosynth Res 97, 167–176 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-008-9311-4

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