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Query: UMLS:C1832526 (PCC)
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The phytobilin chromophores of phycobiliproteins and phytochromes are biosynthesized from heme in a pathway that begins with the opening of the tetrapyrrole macrocycle of protoheme to form biliverdin IX alpha, in a reaction catalyzed by heme oxygenase. A gene containing an open reading frame with a predicted polypeptide that has a sequence similar to that of a conserved region of animal microsomal heme oxygenases was identified in the published genomic sequence of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. This gene, named ho1, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the lacZ promoter. Cells expressing the gene became green colored due to the accumulation of biliverdin IX alpha. The size of the expressed protein was equal to the predicted size of the Synechocystis gene product, named HO1. Heme oxygenase activity was assayed in incubations containing extract of transformed E. coli cells. Incubations containing extract of induced cells, but not those containing extract of uninduced cells, had ferredoxin-dependent heme oxygenase activity. With mesoheme as the substrate, the reaction product was identified as mesobiliverdin IX alpha by spectrophotometry and reverse-phase HPLC. Heme oxygenase activity was not sedimented by centrifugation at 100, 000 g. Expression of HO1 increased several-fold during incubation of the cells for 72 h in iron-deficient medium.
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PMID:Phytobilin biosynthesis: cloning and expression of a gene encoding soluble ferredoxin-dependent heme oxygenase from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. 974 99

Tocopherols, synthesized by photosynthetic organisms, are micronutrients with antioxidant properties that play important roles in animal and human nutrition. Because of these health benefits, there is considerable interest in identifying the genes involved in tocopherol biosynthesis to allow transgenic alteration of both tocopherol levels and composition in agricultural crops. Tocopherols are generated from the condensation of phytyldiphosphate and homogentisic acid (HGA), followed by cyclization and methylation reactions. Homogentisate phytyltransferase (HPT) performs the first committed step in this pathway, the phytylation of HGA. In this study, bioinformatics techniques were used to identify candidate genes, slr1736 and HPT1, that encode HPT from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Arabidopsis, respectively. These two genes encode putative membrane-bound proteins, and contain amino acid residues highly conserved with other prenyltransferases of the aromatic type. A Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 slr1736 null mutant obtained by insertional inactivation did not accumulate tocopherols, and was rescued by the Arabidopsis HPT1 ortholog. The membrane fraction of wild-type Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was capable of catalyzing the phytylation of HGA, whereas the membrane fraction from the slr1736 null mutant was not. The microsomal membrane fraction of baculovirus-infected insect cells expressing the Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 slr1736 were also able to perform the phytylation reaction, verifying HPT activity of the protein encoded by this gene. In addition, evidence that antisense expression of HPT1 in Arabidopsis resulted in reduced seed tocopherol levels, whereas seed-specific sense expression resulted in increased seed tocopherol levels, is presented.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of homogentisate phytyltransferase genes from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Arabidopsis. 1201 62