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Cytochrome c 6-like protein as a putative donor of electrons to photosystem I in the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7119

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Abstract

Most organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis contain either cytochrome c 6 or plastocyanin, or both, to transfer electrons from cytochrome b 6-f to photosystem I. Even though plastocyanin has superseded cytochrome c 6 along evolution, plants contain a modified cytochrome c 6, the so called cytochrome c 6A, whose function still remains unknown. In this article, we describe a second cytochrome c 6 (the so called cytochrome c 6-like protein), which is found in some cyanobacteria but is phylogenetically more related to plant cytochrome c 6A than to cyanobacterial cytochrome c 6. In this article, we conclude that the cytochrome c 6-like protein is a putative electron donor to photosystem I, but does play a role different to that of cytochrome c 6 and plastocyanin as it cannot accept electrons from cytochrome f. The existence of this third electron donor to PSI could explain why some cyanobacteria are able to grow photoautotrophically in the absence of both cytochrome c 6 and plastocyanin. In any way, the Cyt c 6-like protein from Nostoc sp. PCC 7119 would be potentially utilized for the biohydrogen production, using cell-free photosystem I catalytic nanoparticles.

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Abbreviations

Cyt:

Cytochrome

E m :

Midpoint redox potential

k bim :

Second-order rate constant

k et :

First-order electron transfer rate constant

k inf :

Bimolecular rate constant extrapolated to infinite ionic strength

k obs :

Observed pseudo-first-order rate constant

Pc:

Plastocyanin

pI:

Isoelectric point

PSI:

Photosystem I

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (DGICYT, Grant BFU2006-01361/BMC) and Junta de Andalucía (PAI, BIO022 and BIO198). We are very grateful to Prof. M. Hervás and Dr. J.A. Navarro for critically reading the manuscript. We also are grateful to Pilar Alcántara for its technical assistance.

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  1. Francisco M. Reyes-Sosa & Jorge Gil-Martínez

    Present address: Abengoa Bioenergía Nuevas Tecnologías, Campus Palmas Altas, Energía Solar, no 1, Edificio D, 41012, Sevilla, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla y CSIC, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    Francisco M. Reyes-Sosa, Jorge Gil-Martínez & Fernando P. Molina-Heredia

  2. Abengoa Bioenergía Nuevas Tecnologías, Laboratorio ABNT-CITIUS, Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012, Sevilla, Spain

    Jorge Gil-Martínez

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  1. Francisco M. Reyes-Sosa
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Correspondence to Fernando P. Molina-Heredia.

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Reyes-Sosa, F.M., Gil-Martínez, J. & Molina-Heredia, F.P. Cytochrome c 6-like protein as a putative donor of electrons to photosystem I in the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7119. Photosynth Res 110, 61–72 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-011-9694-5

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