Differential expression of members of a cyanobacterial psbA gene family in response to light

The genome of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 contains three psbA genes encoding two forms of the D1 protein: form I, the product of psbAI, differs from form II, the product of both psbAII and psbAIII, at 25 of 360 residues. D1 is essential for photosynthesis as a core component of the photosystem II reaction center. Translational gene fusions between each of the Synechococcus psbA genes and the Escherichia coli lacZ gene were inserted into the chromosome of wild-type Synechococcus sp. at the respective psbA loci to serve as in vivo reporters of psbA expression. beta-Galactosidase activities indicated differential expression of the psbA-lacZ gene fusions related to light availability. Expression of psbAI was 500-fold greater than expression of psbAII and 50-fold greater than psbAIII under similar conditions. As light intensity decreased from 600 microE.m-2.s-1 to 2 microE.m-2.s-1, expression of the psbAI reporter increased eightfold while expression of the psbAII and psbAIII reporters decreased 10-fold, suggesting differential production of the two forms of D1 in photosystem II in response to light availability. Relative levels of psbA-lacZ fusion transcripts directly reflected beta-galactosidase activities in the transformants, although the fusion transcripts were less stable than native psbA messages.