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Understanding Sugar Catabolism in Unicellular Cyanobacteria Toward the Application in Biofuel and Biomaterial Production

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Lipids in Plant and Algae Development

Part of the book series: Subcellular Biochemistry ((SCBI,volume 86))

Abstract

Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a model species of the cyanobacteria that undergo oxygenic photosynthesis, and has garnered much attention for its potential biotechnological applications. The regulatory mechanism of sugar metabolism in this cyanobacterium has been intensively studied and recent omics approaches have revealed the changes in transcripts, proteins, and metabolites of sugar catabolism under different light and nutrient conditions. Several transcriptional regulators that control the gene expression of enzymes related to sugar catabolism have been identified in the past 10 years, including a sigma factor, transcription factors, and histidine kinases. The modification of these genes can lead to alterations in the primary metabolism as well as the levels of high-value products such as bioplastics and hydrogen. This review summarizes recent studies on sugar catabolism in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, emphasizing the importance of elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cyanobacterial metabolism for biotechnological applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan; by a grant to T.O. by funds from ALCA (Project name “Production of cyanobacterial succinate by the genetic engineering of transcriptional regulators and circadian clocks”) from the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and CREST from the Japan Science and Technology Agency. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture, Meiji University, 1-1-1, Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 214-8571, Japan

    Takashi Osanai & Hiroko Iijima

  2. RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan

    Masami Yokota Hirai

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  1. Takashi Osanai
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  2. Hiroko Iijima
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  3. Masami Yokota Hirai
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Correspondence to Takashi Osanai .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Academia Sinica, Institute of Plant and Microbial Bi, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yuki Nakamura

  2. Institut de Biologie Environnementale et, Université Aix Marseille, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

    Yonghua Li-Beisson

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Osanai, T., Iijima, H., Hirai, M.Y. (2016). Understanding Sugar Catabolism in Unicellular Cyanobacteria Toward the Application in Biofuel and Biomaterial Production. In: Nakamura, Y., Li-Beisson, Y. (eds) Lipids in Plant and Algae Development. Subcellular Biochemistry, vol 86. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25979-6_20

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