Functional proteomics reveals that Slr0237 is a SigE-regulated glycogen
debranching enzyme pivotal for glycogen breakdown
Abstract
The group 2 σ factor for RNA polymerase SigE plays important role in
regulating central carbon metabolism in cyanobacteria. However, the
regulation of SigE for these pathways at a proteome level remains
unknown. Using a sigE-deficient strain (ΔsigE) of Synechocystis sp. PCC
6803 and quantitative proteomics, we found that SigE depletion induces
differential protein expression for sugar catabolic pathways including
glycolysis, oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway, and glycogen
catabolism. Two glycogen debranching enzyme homologues Slr1857 and
Slr0237 are found differentially expressed in ΔsigE. Glycogen
determination indicated that Δslr0237 accumulated glycogen under
photomixotrophic conditions but was unable to utilize these reserves in
the dark, whereas Δslr1857 accumulates and utilize glycogen in a similar
way as the WT strain does in the same conditions. These results suggest
that Slr0237 plays the major role as the glycogen debranching enzyme in
Synechocystis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the
functional difference of two glycogen debranching enzyme in
Synechocystis and the research highlights the intricate regulation of
glycogen breakdown.