Recombinant Prochlorococcus marinus subsp. pastoris Indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase (trpC)

Introduction

Prochlorococcus marinus is the dominant photosynthetic organism in many tropical and temperate ocean ecosystems . It is also the smallest photosynthetic organism known, with a cell size of less than 1 μm . Prochlorococcus marinus subsp. pastoris CCMP1986 is a high-light-adapted strain from the HLI clade that has one of the smallest known genomes of a photosynthetic organism .

Description of Prochlorococcus marinus subsp. pastoris

Prochlorococcus marinus subsp. pastoris is a subspecies of Prochlorococcus marinus . The formal description of Prochlorococcus marinus was based on the non-axenic nomenclatural type, strain CCMP 1375T . The purification and properties of the axenic strain PCC 9511, derived from the same primary culture (SARG) as the type species, have been reported . Prochlorococcus PCC 9511 differs from the latter in possessing horseshoe-shaped thylakoids, exhibiting a low chlorophyll b2 content and lacking phycoerythrin, but shares these phenotypic properties with Prochlorococcus strain CCMP 1378 . 16S rRNA sequence analyses have confirmed this relationship, demonstrating that the axenic isolate is not co-identical with the nomenclatural type . Strain PCC 9511 has a low mean DNA base composition (32 mol% G+C) and harbors the smallest genome of all known oxyphotobacteria (genome complexity 1.3 GDa = 2 Mbp) . Urea and ammonia are the preferred sources of nitrogen for growth, whereas nitrate is not utilized . Several different organic phosphorus compounds efficiently replace phosphate in the culture medium, indicative of ecto-phosphohydrolase activity .

Indole-3-glycerol Phosphate Synthase (trpC)

Indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase (TrpC) is an enzyme involved in tryptophan biosynthesis. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, and its synthesis is vital for the survival of organisms . TrpC catalyzes the fifth step in tryptophan biosynthesis, converting chorismate and glutamine into indole-3-glycerol phosphate and pyruvate .

Recombinant TrpC

Recombinant TrpC refers to TrpC that has been produced using recombinant DNA technology. This involves isolating the gene encoding TrpC from Prochlorococcus marinus subsp. pastoris, cloning it into an expression vector, and expressing it in a host organism such as Escherichia coli or Pichia pastoris . The recombinant protein can then be purified and used for various research and industrial applications .

Significance of Recombinant TrpC

Recombinant TrpC from Prochlorococcus marinus subsp. pastoris can be used for several purposes:

• Structural and Functional Studies: Studying the structure and function of TrpC can provide insights into the mechanism of tryptophan biosynthesis and can aid in the design of novel inhibitors .

• Industrial Applications: Tryptophan is used in the pharmaceutical, food, and feed industries. Recombinant TrpC can be used to produce tryptophan in large quantities .

• Bioremediation: Prochlorococcus marinus is known for its ability to utilize various organic phosphorus compounds, and its enzymes, including TrpC, may have applications in bioremediation .