PufQ regulates porphyrin flux at the haem/bacteriochlorophyll branchpoint of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis via interactions with ferrochelatase

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The switch from aerobic to photosynthetic growth in the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides is based on oxygen availability. Here we demonstrate that the pufQ gene product regulates this switch via interactions with ferrochelatase, which drives porphyrin flux towards bacteriochlorophyll rather than haem. The co‐location of pufQ and photosystem genes in the pufQBALMX operon ensures that switching tetrapyrrole metabolism towards bacteriochlorophyll is coordinated with the production of reaction centre and light harvesting polypeptides.
Source: Molecular Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research