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6PPD-quinone affects the photosynthetic carbon fixation in cyanobacteria by extracting photosynthetic electrons
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Researchers found that 6PPD-quinone, an emerging tire rubber pollutant, disrupts photosynthesis in cyanobacteria by intercepting electrons at two key sites in photosystems I and II, ultimately reducing carbon fixation rates and posing a potential threat to the global carbon cycle.
Photosynthetic carbon fixation by cyanobacteria plays a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle but is threatened by environmental pollutants. To date, the impact of quinones, with electron shuttling properties, on cyanobacterial photosynthesis is unknown. Here, we present the first study investigating the effects of an emerging quinone pollutant, i.e., 6PPD-Q (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone), on the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. over a 400-generation exposure period. Synechocystis sp. exhibited distinct sequential phases, including hormesis, toxicity, and eventual recovery, throughout this exposure. Extensive evidence, including results of thylakoid membrane morphological and photosynthetic responses, carbon fixation rate, and key gene/protein analyses, strongly indicates that 6PPD-Q is a potent disruptor of photosynthesis. 6PPD-Q accepts photosynthetic electrons at the plastoquinone QB site in photosystem II (PSII) and the phylloquinone A1 site in PSI, leading to a sustained decrease in the carbon fixation of cyanobacteria after an ephemeral increase. This work revealed the specific mechanism by which 6PPD-Q interferes with photosynthetic carbon fixation in cyanobacteria, which is highly important for the global carbon cycle.
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Researchers investigated the molecular responses of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 to polyethylene micro- and nanoparticles, finding that these anthropogenic stressors altered gene expression and physiological processes in this key marine photosynthetic organism.
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