Four thiol peroxidases contain a conserved GCT catalytic motif and act as a versatile array of lipid peroxidases in Anabaena sp. PCC7120.

The Anabaena sp. (ANASP) genome contains seven open reading frames with homology to thiol peroxidase (TPx), also known as peroxiredoxin (Prx). Based on sequence similarities among putative TPx's derived from various cyanobacteria genomes, we designated the seven putative TPx members as VCP, VCT, TCS, and GCT clusters according to the sequence of their conserved catalytic motif. The GCT cluster consists of four members, named GCT1, GCT2, GCT3, and GCT4. The ANASP GCT-TPx genes were recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified proteins were characterized with an emphasis on the ability to destroy various peroxides, the electron donor, and the conserved cysteine structure as a catalytic intermediate. All GCT members, as an atypical 2-Cys TPx family, exerted the highest peroxidase activity toward a lipid hydroperoxide using an electron from thioredoxin. Periplasmic protein analysis revealed that GCT2 and GCT4 are distributed in the cytoplasm, whereas GCT1 and GCT3, homologues of E. coli bacterioferritin comigratory protein/plant PrxQ, are localized in the periplasmic space. Immunoblots of the heterocystic proteins showed that the level of GCT2 in the heterocyst is comparable to that in the vegetative cell, whereas the other GCT members were not significantly detected in the heterocyst. The transcriptional responses of ANASP GCT genes to various oxidative stresses and growth environments were multifarious. Their intrinsic differences in transcriptional responsiveness and cellular localization suggest that this large GCT cluster is designed as an adaptive strategy to efficiently combat lipid hydroperoxide in Anabaena sp. that perform oxygenic photosynthesis and N(2) fixation.