Authors
Zachary Johnson, Natalie C Sadler, Marci Garcia, Ashley Gilliam, Eric Allen Hill, Xiaolu Li, Jesse B Trejo, Wei-Jun Qian, Margaret S Cheung, Pavlo Bohutskyi
Published in
iScience. Volume 29. Issue 11. Pages 117861. Nov 20, 2026. Epub Oct 14, 2026.
Abstract
Oxygenic phototrophs face a paradox: the reactions powering growth generate oxidative stress, whose damage or costly defense reduces fitness. In Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, we profiled steady-state growth, photophysiology, and transcription across a dissolved oxygen gradient (0-374% air saturation). Independent component analysis of these transcriptomes within a 407-sample compendium resolved 78 regulatory modules (iModulons) explaining 72.3% of variance. Growth rate followed a graded, sigmoidal dose-response, which we divide into low, moderate, and severe stress regimes (14% and 47% decline, then arrest). Stress-responsive module activities shifted across these regimes: low stress activated SufR and PerR at minimal growth cost; moderate stress modulated three RpaB states, then ManR, CopR, and Rre1; and severe stress triggered a dual-control checkpoint with a fourth RpaB state linking redox sensing to the stringent response and growth arrest. Protein oxidation, pigments, and energy transfer tracked these transitions, suggesting cells trade growth for defense through discrete regulatory states.
PMID:
42909240
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.
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