Coordination of carbon partitioning and photosynthesis by a two-component signaling network in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

Photosynthetic organisms need to balance the rate of photosynthesis with the utilization of photosynthetic products by downstream reactions. While such “source/sink” pathways are well-interrogated in plants, analogous regulatory systems are unknown or poorly studied in single-celled algal and cyanobacterial species. Towards the identification of energy/sugar sensors in cyanobacteria, we utilized an engineered strain of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 that allows experimental manipulation of carbon status. We conducted a screening of all two-component systems (TCS) and serine/threonine kinases (STKs) encoded in S. elongatus PCC 7942 by analyzing phenotypes consistent with sucrose-induced relaxation of sink inhibition. We narrowed the candidate sensor proteins by analyzing changes observed after sucrose feeding. We show that a clustered TCS network containing RpaA, CikB, ManS and NblS are involved in the regulation of genes related to photosynthesis, pigment synthesis, and Rubisco concentration in response to sucrose. Altogether, these results highlight a regulatory TCS group that may play under-appreciated functions in carbon partitioning and energy balancing in cyanobacteria. •Photosynthetic organisms need to balance photosynthesis with the downstream utilization of photosynthetic products.•Carbon partitioning and photosynthesis are coordinated in part by a two-component signaling network in cyanobacteria.•RpaA, CikB, ManS and NblS are the main components we implicate in this signaling network.•This network responds to sucrose by regulating photosynthetic genes, pigment synthesis, and Rubisco concentration.•Understanding how carbon partitioning works in cyanobacteria may open new avenues for engineering bioproduction.