Co-ordination of NDH and Cup proteins in CO(2) uptake in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

High and low affinity CO(2)-uptake systems containing CupA (NDH-1MS) and CupB (NDH-1MS′), respectively, have been identified in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, but it is yet unknown how the complexes function in CO(2) uptake. In this work, we found that deletion of cupB significantly lowered the growth of cells, and deletion of both cupA and cupB seriously suppressed the growth below pH 7.0 even under 3% CO(2). The rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution was decreased slightly by deletion of cupA but significantly by deletion of cupB and more severely by deletion of both cupA and cupB, especially in response to changed pH conditions under 3% CO(2). Furthermore, we found that assembly of CupB into NDH-1MS′ was dependent on NdhD4 and NdhF4. NDH-1MS′ was not affected in the NDH-1MS-degradation mutant and NDH-1MS was not affected in the NDH-1MS′-degradation mutants, indicating the existence of independent CO(2)-uptake systems under high CO(2) conditions. The light-induced proton gradient across thylakoid membranes was significantly inhibited in ndhD-deletion mutants, suggesting that NdhDs functions in proton pumping. The carbonic anhydrase activity was suppressed partly in the cupA- or cupB-deletion mutant but severely in the mutant with both cupA and cupB deletion, indicating that CupA and CupB function in conversion of CO(2) to HCO(3)(–). In turn, deletion of cup genes lowered the transthylakoid membrane proton gradient and deletion of ndhDs decreased the CO(2) hydration. Our results suggest that NDH-1M provides an alkaline region to activate Cup proteins involved in CO(2) uptake.