Cloning and characterization of high-CO2-specific cDNAs from a marine microalga, Chlorococcum littorale, and effect of CO2 concentration and iron deficiency on the gene expression.

Two cDNA clones exclusively induced under an extremely high-CO2 concentration (20%) were isolated from Chlorococcum littorale by differential screening and named HCR (high-CO2 response) 1 and 2, respectively. The amino acid sequence of the protein encoded by HCR2 exhibited homology to the gp91-phox protein, a critical component of a human phagocyte oxidoreductase, and to the yeast ferric reductases, Saccharomyces cerevisiae FRE1 and FRE2 and Schizosaccharomyces pombe Frp1. The induction of both HCR mRNAs required extremely high-CO2 conditions and iron deficiency, being suppressed under air conditions and by iron sufficiency, suggesting that the expression of these two HCR genes required extremely high-CO2 conditions and iron deficiency in combination. The HCR2 protein was detected in the membrane fractions of cells grown under conditions which would favor the induction of HCR2-mRNA and the protein level was lowered when the cells were transferred from iron deficient to 10 microM FeSO4 conditions (with 20% CO2).