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Abstract
Anoxygenic and oxygenic bacteria directly convert solar energy into biomass using photosynthesis. The formation and composition of photosynthetic complexes has to be tightly controlled in response to environmental conditions, as exposure to sunlight can be harmful due to the generation of reactive oxygen species and the damaging effects of UV irradiation. Therefore, photosynthetic bacteria are exposed to a particular set of regulatory challenges in addition to those that also affect other bacteria, requiring sophisticated regulatory systems. Indeed, hundreds of potential regulatory RNAs have been identified in photosynthetic model bacteria as well as antisense RNAs (asRNAs) of up to several kb in length that protect certain mRNAs from degradation. The trans-acting small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs), PcrZ and PsrR1, control pigment and photosystem biogenesis in Rhodobacter sphaeroides and cyanobacteria, respectively. The asRNAs IsrR and As1_flv4 act as negative regulators and the asRNAs PsbA2R and PsbA3R as positive effectors of photosynthesis gene expression in Synechocystis 6803.
Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest
No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Focus program “Sensory and regulatory RNAs in Prokaryotes” SPP1258, grants HE 2544/4-1 and 4-2, KL563/23-1, WI 2014/3-1 and 3-2, STE 1119/2-1 and 2-2, as well as grant KL563/20-2.