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Published on: November 10, 2021
Polyphosphate Attenuates Oxidative Stress to Support Temperature Adaptability in Hot Spring Cyanobacteria
Xiaohua Song1, Yong'an Wei1, Minxiang Xu1
1State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Aquatic Ecosystem Health in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 15, 2026
Summary
Polyphosphate (polyP) accumulation helps thermophilic cyanobacteria like Thermosynechococcus sp. FJSJ-1 adapt to hot spring temperature changes. This molecule reinforces antioxidant defenses, protecting against oxidative stress and preserving photosynthesis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Thermophilic cyanobacteria inhabit hot springs, requiring mechanisms to manage oxidative stress from high temperatures.
- Polyphosphate (polyP) is implicated in oxidative stress resistance, but its function in thermophilic cyanobacteria is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of polyphosphate (polyP) in the temperature adaptability of *Thermosynechococcus* sp. FJSJ-1.
- Elucidate how polyP metabolism influences redox homeostasis, photosynthesis, and growth under thermal stress.
Main Methods:
- Cultivated *Thermosynechococcus* sp. FJSJ-1 across a temperature gradient (30-70 °C).
- Utilized phloretin to inhibit polyP synthesis and exogenous polyP to assess its effects.
- Monitored reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant enzyme activity, photosynthetic function, and growth.
Main Results:
- Temperature fluctuations induced polyP accumulation.
- Inhibiting polyP synthesis increased ROS levels and overwhelmed antioxidant defenses (SOD, catalase, glutathione, HSPs).
- Exogenous polyP reversed phloretin-induced oxidative damage and growth inhibition, reinforcing the antioxidant network and protecting photosystem II.
Conclusions:
- Polyphosphate (polyP) is crucial for temperature adaptation in *Thermosynechococcus* sp. FJSJ-1 by coordinating antioxidant defense.
- PolyP protects photosystem II, maintaining photosynthetic efficiency and pigment stability under thermal stress.
- Findings provide insights into microbial adaptation in geothermal environments and potential for engineering thermotolerant strains.
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