Characterization of Cyanate Metabolism in MarineSynechococcusandProchlorococcusspp.
ABSTRACTCyanobacteria of the generaSynechococcusandProchlorococcusare the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on earth, occupying a key position at the base of marine food webs. ThecynSgene that encodes cyanase was identified among bacterial, fungal, and plant sequences in public databases, and the gene was particularly prevalent among cyanobacteria, including numerousProchlorococcusandSynechococcusstrains. Phylogenetic analysis ofcynSsequences retrieved from the Global Ocean Survey database identified >60% as belonging to unicellular marine cyanobacteria, suggesting an important role for cyanase in their nitrogen metabolism. We demonstrate here that marine cyanobacteria have a functionally active cyanase, the transcriptional regulation of which varies among strains and reflects the genomic context ofcynS. InProchlorococcussp. strain MED4,cynSwas presumably transcribed as part of thecynABDSoperon, implying cyanase involvement in cyanate utilization. InSynechococcussp. strain WH8102, expression was not related to nitrogen stress responses and here cyanase presumably serves in the detoxification of cyanate resulting from intracellular urea and/or carbamoyl phosphate decomposition. Lastly, we report on a cyanase activity encoded bycynH, a novel gene found in marine cyanobacteria only. The presence of dual cyanase genes in the genomes of seven marineSynechococcusstrains and their respective roles in nitrogen metabolism remain to be clarified.