Abstract
In the biosphere, sucrose is mainly synthesized in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, green algae and land plants, as part of the carbon dioxide assimilation pathway. Even though its central position in the functional biology of plants is well documented, much less is known about the role of sucrose in cyanobacteria. In those prokaryotes, sucrose accumulation has been associated with salt acclimation, and considered as a compatible solute in low-salt tolerant strains. In the last years, functional characterizations of sucrose metabolizing enzymes, metabolic control analysis, cellular localization of gene expressions, and reverse genetic experiments have revealed that sucrose metabolism is crucial in the diazotrophic growth of heterocystic strains, and besides, that it can be connected to glycogen synthesis. This article briefly summarizes the current state of knowledge of sucrose physiological functions in modern cyanobacteria and how they might have evolved taking into account the phylogenetic analyses of sucrose enzymes.
Highlights
Cyanobacteria are among the most diverse groups of prokaryotic organisms that perform oxygenic photosynthesis
The majority of free-living forms are abundant in waters with rapid and significant salinity fluctuations and water status [3]. To cope with these variations, cyanobacteria have developed salt acclimation mechanisms that involve the active extrusion of toxic ions and the accumulation of compatible solutes, such as sucrose, trehalose, glucosylglycerol, glucosylglycerate and glycine betaine [4]
This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of sucrose roles in cyanobacteria, as a stress-response molecule, its relationship with glycogen metabolism, and most outstandingly, as a crucial molecule in filamentous heterocyst-forming strains
Summary
Cyanobacteria are among the most diverse groups of prokaryotic organisms that perform oxygenic photosynthesis. The majority of free-living forms are abundant in waters with rapid and significant salinity fluctuations and water status [3]. To cope with these variations, cyanobacteria have developed salt acclimation mechanisms that involve the active extrusion of toxic ions and the accumulation of compatible solutes, such as sucrose, trehalose, glucosylglycerol, glucosylglycerate and glycine betaine [4]. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of sucrose roles in cyanobacteria, as a stress-response molecule, its relationship with glycogen metabolism, and most outstandingly, as a crucial molecule in filamentous heterocyst-forming strains
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