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Peer-reviewedCC BYMLife

DnaK1-mediated regulation of phototactic motility in Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 3055.

  • Shang-Yu Li1,2
  • Qing-Xue Sun1
  • Dan-Qing Huang1,3
  • Tao Xie1,3
  • Yan Yu1,3
  • Chenliu He1
  • Cesar A Valades-Cruz1
  • Xiaoli Zeng1
  • Yiling Yang1
  • Cheng-Cai Zhang1,4,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Institute of Hydrobiology Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan China.
  2. 2Present address: School of Medical Technology Xinxiang Medical University Xinxiang China.
  3. 3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
  4. 4Hubei Hongshan Laboratory Wuhan China.
  5. 5State Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing China.
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Abstract

Cyanobacterial phototaxis relies on type IV pili (T4P); yet, how light signals are transmitted to the T4P motor remains unresolved. Here, we identify the molecular chaperone DnaK1 as an important regulator of phototactic motility in Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 3055. DnaK1 interacts with the phototaxis regulator PixGSe and the T4P extension ATPase PilB, and loss of dnaK1 impairs phototactic motility. Mutations in dnaJ1 impair phototaxis, and a partially segregated grpE mutant shows a similar but milder defect, suggesting that the DnaK1-DnaJ1-GrpE system may contribute to this process. Fluorescence imaging shows that DnaK1, PixGSe, and PilB have similar polar localization patterns. Based on these findings, we propose a working model in which DnaK1 may facilitate the assembly or stability of phototaxis-associated T4P complexes, thereby providing a potential mechanistic link between the phototaxis signaling module and T4P motor activity. These findings establish a link between DnaK1 and the phototaxis machinery, highlighting a potential role for molecular chaperones in coupling light-sensing pathways to T4P-mediated motility.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{li2026dnak1mediated,
  title = {{DnaK1-mediated regulation of phototactic motility in Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 3055.}},
  author = {Shang-Yu Li and Qing-Xue Sun and Dan-Qing Huang and Tao Xie and Yan Yu and Chenliu He and Cesar A Valades-Cruz and Xiaoli Zeng and Yiling Yang and Cheng-Cai Zhang},
  journal = {MLife},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1002/mlf2.70109},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948147},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - DnaK1-mediated regulation of phototactic motility in Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 3055.
AU  - Shang-Yu Li
AU  - Qing-Xue Sun
AU  - Dan-Qing Huang
AU  - Tao Xie
AU  - Yan Yu
AU  - Chenliu He
AU  - Cesar A Valades-Cruz
AU  - Xiaoli Zeng
AU  - Yiling Yang
AU  - Cheng-Cai Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - MLife
DO  - 10.1002/mlf2.70109
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948147
AB  - Cyanobacterial phototaxis relies on type IV pili (T4P); yet, how light signals are transmitted to the T4P motor remains unresolved. Here, we identify the molecular chaperone DnaK1 as an important regulator of phototactic motility in Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 3055. DnaK1 interacts with the phototaxis regulator PixGSe and the T4P extension ATPase PilB, and loss of dnaK1 impairs phototactic motility. Mutations in dnaJ1 impair phototaxis, and a partially segregated grpE mutant shows a similar but milder defect, suggesting that the DnaK1-DnaJ1-GrpE system may contribute to this process. Fluorescence imaging shows that DnaK1, PixGSe, and PilB have similar polar localization patterns. Based on these findings, we propose a working model in which DnaK1 may facilitate the assembly or stability of phototaxis-associated T4P complexes, thereby providing a potential mechanistic link between the phototaxis signaling module and T4P motor activity. These findings establish a link between DnaK1 and the phototaxis machinery, highlighting a potential role for molecular chaperones in coupling light-sensing pathways to T4P-mediated motility.
SN  - 2097-1699
SN  - 2770-100X
ER  -