The model cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 possess an intact but partially degenerated gene cluster encoding gas vesicles

BACKGROUND: Bacterial gas vesicles, composed of two major gas vesicle proteins and filled with gas, are a unique class of intracellular bubble-like nanostructures. They provide buoyancy for cells, and thus play an essential role in the growth and survival of aquatic and soil microbes. Moreover, the gas vesicle could be applied to multimodal and noninvasive biological imaging as a potential nanoscale contrast agent. To date, cylinder-shaped gas vesicles have been found in several strains of cyanobacteria. However, whether the functional gas vesicles could be produced in the model filamentous cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 remains controversial. RESULTS: In this study, we found that an intact gvp gene cluster indeed exists in the model filamentous cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Real-time PCR assays showed that the gvpA gene is constitutively transcribed in vivo, and its expression level is upregulated at low light intensity and/or high growth temperature. Functional expression of this intact gvp gene cluster enables the recombinant Escherichia coli to gain the capability of floatation in the liquid medium, thanks to the assembly of irregular gas vesicles. Furthermore, crystal structure of GvpF in combination with enzymatic activity assays of GvpN suggested that these two auxiliary proteins of gas vesicle are structurally and enzymatically conserved, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the laboratory strain of model filamentous cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 possesses an intact but partially degenerated gas vesicle gene cluster, indicating that the natural isolate might be able to produce gas vesicles under some given environmental stimuli for better floatation.