Genetic analysis of photosynthesis in Rhodospirillum centenum

A genetic system has been developed for studying bacterial photosynthesis in the recently described nonsulfur purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum centenum. Nonphotosynthetic mutants of R. centenum were obtained by enrichment for spontaneous mutations, by ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis coupled to penicillin selection on solid medium, and by Tn5 transposition mutagenesis with an IncP plasmid vector containing a temperature-sensitive origin of replication. In vivo and in vitro characterization of individual strains demonstrated that 38 strains contained mutations that blocked bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis at defined steps of the biosynthetic pathway. Collectively, these mutations were shown to block seven of eight steps of the pathway leading from protoporphyrin IX to bacteriochlorophyll a. Three mutants were isolated in which carotenoid biosynthesis was blocked early in the biosynthetic pathway; the mutants also exhibited pleiotropic effects on stability or assembly of the photosynthetic apparatus. Five mutants failed to assemble a functional reaction center complex, and seven mutants contained defects in electron transport as shown by an alteration in cytochromes. In addition, several regulatory mutants were isolated that acquired enhanced repression of bacteriochlorophyll in response to the presence of molecular oxygen. The phenotypes of these mutants are discussed in relation to those of similar mutants of Rhodobacter and other Rhodospirillum species of purple photosynthetic bacteria.