A feedback between membrane fluidity and transcription of the desB gene for the omega3 fatty acid desaturase in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis].

K S Mironov, E G Maksimov, G V Maksimov, D A Los'

Molekuliarnaia biologiia 2012 Jan-Feb

filter terms:

Prokaryotic cells, including cyanobacteria, respond to a decrease in ambient temperature by activation of numerous cold shock genes. Low temperatures cause a decrease in membrane fluidity, which is maintained at some optimal level mainly by fatty acid (FA) desaturases. Here, temperature-dependent expression of the desB gene for the omega3-desaturase in Synechocystis, which synthesized polyunsaturated FAs, and in its mutant, desA-/desD-, which is defective in genes for delta12- and delta6-desaturases and is capable of synthesizing only monounsaturated FAs was studied. Low temperatures caused the increase in the amount of the desB mRNA in the wild-type cells with the maximum observed at 24 degrees C. In the double mutant desA-/desD- cells, the maximum amount of this mRNA was accumulated at 28-30 degrees C. Thus, our studies of the desB gene for the omega3-desaturase demonstrated that temperature-dependent expression of genes, which are responsible for the maintenance of the optimal membrane fluidity, depends on physical state of these membranes and is regulated by a feedback mode.

Citation

K S Mironov, E G Maksimov, G V Maksimov, D A Los'. A feedback between membrane fluidity and transcription of the desB gene for the omega3 fatty acid desaturase in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis]. Molekuliarnaia biologiia. 2012 Jan-Feb;46(1):147-55