The acyl-acyl carrier protein synthetase from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 mediates fatty acid import.

The transfer of fatty acids across biological membranes is a largely uncharacterized process, although it is essential at membranes of several higher plant organelles like chloroplasts, peroxisomes, or the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we analyzed loss-of-function mutants of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as a model system to circumvent redundancy problems encountered in eukaryotic organisms.

Nocturnal energy demand in plants: insights from studying mutants impaired in β-oxidation.

All photosynthetic organisms face the difficulty of maintaining cellular metabolism in the absence of photosynthetic active radiation during the night. Although many consuming metabolic pathways (e.g.