Genome-scale fluxome of Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 using transient 13C-labeling data (Plant Physiol)

Synechococcus elongates UTEX 2973 (also known as Synechococcus 2973) has the fastest doubling time of known cyanobacteria, completely replicating itself in just over two hours. This fast growth rate makes it an interesting platform for industrial applications. Hendry et al set out to understand what makes it so fast, using genome-scale Isotopic Non-Stationary-¹³C-Metabolic Flux Analysis (INST-MFA). They found that the carbon-metabolism of Synechococcus 2973 deviates in several ways from that of the model species Synechocystis 6803, including a higher rate of CO2 assimilation arising from elevated rates of ATP and NADPH generation, and the extensive reassimilation of CO₂ liberated by photorespiration; together these lead to the astonishing conversion of >96% of assimilated CO₂ into biomass. (Summary by Mary Williams) Plant Physiol. 10.1104/pp.18.01357