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Transcriptomic analysis of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 under low-temperature stress

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Abstract

In this study, cDNA microarrays were developed from 3569 mRNA reads to analyze the expression profiles of the transcriptomes of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 under low temperature (LT) stress. Among the genes on the cDNA microarrays, 899 LT-affected genes exhibited a 1.5-fold (or greater) difference in expression compared with the genes from normal unstressed Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. Of the differentially expressed genes, 353 were up-regulated and 246 were down-regulated. The results showed that genes involved in photosynthesis were activated at LT (10°C), including genes for photosystem I, photosystem II, photosynthetic electron transport, and cytochrome b6/f complex. Moreover, desB, one of four genes that encode the fatty acid desaturases, was also induced by LT. However, the LT conditions to some degree enhanced the transcription of some genes. In addition, LT (10°C) may reduce cellular motility by regulating the transcription of spkA (sll1575), a serine/threonine protein kinase. The results reported in this study may contribute to a better understanding of the responses of the Synechocystis cell to LT, including pathways involved in photosynthesis and repair.

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Abbreviations

Hik:

histidine kinase

STK:

serine/threonine protein kinase

Rre:

response regulator

LT:

low-temperature stress

PSI:

photosystem I

PSII:

photosystem II

Cyt.b6:

cytochrome B6/f complex

PET:

photosynthetic electron transport

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Zhixiang Liu  (刘志香), Zhengyi Liu  (刘正一) & Zhaopu Liu  (刘兆普)

  2. Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, China

    Zhixiang Liu  (刘志香), Hongli Cui  (崔红利), Zhengyi Liu  (刘正一), Yinchu Wang  (王寅初), Yulin Cui  (崔玉琳) & Song Qin  (秦松)

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  1. Zhixiang Liu  (刘志香)
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  2. Hongli Cui  (崔红利)
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  3. Zhengyi Liu  (刘正一)
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  4. Yinchu Wang  (王寅初)
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  5. Yulin Cui  (崔玉琳)
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  6. Zhaopu Liu  (刘兆普)
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  7. Song Qin  (秦松)
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Correspondence to Zhaopu Liu  (刘兆普) or Song Qin  (秦松).

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40876082), the International Innovation Partnership Program: Typical Environmental Process and Effects on Resources in Coastal Zone Area, the Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of the Ocean (Nos. 200905021, 201205027), the Outstanding Young Scholars Fellowship of Shandong Province (Molecular Phycology, No. JQ200914), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. ZR2012DQ015), and the Guangdong Province Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. 2011A090100040)

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Liu, Z., Cui, H., Liu, Z. et al. Transcriptomic analysis of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 under low-temperature stress. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 32, 403–418 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-014-3174-7

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