Aerobic Production of Bacteriochlorophylls in the Filamentous Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacterium, Chloroflexus aurantiacus in the Light

Abstract

Filamentous anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria grow by photosynthesis and aerobic respiration. The present study investigated the effects of light and O₂ on bacteriochlorophyll contents and the transcription levels of photosynthesis-related genes in Chloroflexus aurantiacus J-10-fl ^T. Under aerobic conditions, C. aurantiacus produced marked amounts of bacteriochlorophylls in the presence of light, although their production was strongly suppressed in the dark. The transcription levels of genes related to the synthesis of bacteriochlorophylls, photosystems, and chlorosomes: bchM, bchU, pufL, pufBA, and csmM, were markedly increased by illumination. These results suggest that C. aurantiacus continuously synthesizes ATP by photophosphorylation even in the presence of O₂.