STUDIES ON THE CARBONIC-ANHYDRASE ACTIVITY IN SYNECHOCYSTIS PCC6803 WILD-TYPE AND AN ACETAZOLAMIDE-RESISTANT MUTANT

The problem of the role and the localization of carbonic anhydrase activity in cyanobacteria has been addressed by two approaches using strain Synechocystis PCC6803. Physiological analysis of the differential effects of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors on the entry and accumulation of CO2 in cells grown under low or high inorganic carbon concentrations and determination of carbonic anhydrase activities in cellular subfractions led to the hypothesis of the presence of two different enzymes in this strain. This conclusion is compatible with current models. Only the internal enzyme could be regulated by variations of the external inorganic carbon concentrations. A parallel analysis of a mutant of this strain resistant to the inhibitor acetazolamide supported the hypothesis of the presence of two enzymes. This clone would be selectively impaired in the carbonic anhydrase activity involved in the maintenance of the internal CO2 pool, while its transport capacity is unchanged.