Recent Posts

A CRISPRi library screen reveals growth-robustness tradeoffs in Synechocystis

Miao & Jahn et al. generated and screened a large CRISPRi-based library of Synechocystis in 11 different growth conditions to reveal growth-robustness tradeoffs and to discover genes with condition specific importance and additional functions. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad208 By  Rui…

Anchoring Membranes in Cyanobacteria

Ostermeier et al. introduce AncM, a new factor for structuring the photosynthetic membrane system in cyanobacteria. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab253 By Matthias Ostermeier, Steffen Heinz and Jörg Nickelsen at Molecular Plant Science at LMU Munich Background: Cyanobacteria are…

Crosstalk Between Light Harvesting and Photoprotection Is Mediated by a Regulatory sRNA

Zhan and Steglich et al. investigate the small RNA-mediated regulation of the photoprotective Orange Carotenoid Protein in cyanobacteria. https://bit.ly/3d3AqY0 By Jiao Zhan1,2, Wolfgang Hess3 and Diana Kirilovsky1 1 Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the…

Self-assembling organelles for CO2 fixation: stoichiometry and structural plasticity

Sun et al. investigate how carboxysomes are constructed and regulated in cyanobacteria. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00787 By Luning Liu Background: All cells are composed of well-defined compartments to encase enzymes and reactions to increase the efficiency of biological processes.…

Balancing photosystem activities: different mechanisms in plants and cyanobacteria

Calzadilla et al. investigate the mechanism underlying state transitions in cyanobacteria. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00159 By Pablo I. Calzadilla and Diana Kirilovsky, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur…

A thylakoid-located carbonic anhydrase regulates CO2 uptake in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (New Phytol)

The cyanobacterial CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) is dependent on a continuous supply of inorganic carbon (Ci) to rubisco inside carboxysomes in order to function optimally.  CO2 uptake pathways are therefore of great importance for a full understanding of the cyanobacterial CCM.  Sun et al demonstrate…

Roles of RbcX in carboxysome biosynthesis in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongates PCC 7942  (Plant Physiol)

Introduction of the cyanobacterial carboxysome into C3 crops represents a viable strategy to increase photosynthetic conversion efficiency and boost crop yield.  Key to this challenge is gaining a full understanding of the carboxysome system in cyanobacteria, including how these microcompartments assemble…