The cyanobacterial NAD kinase gene sll1415 is required for photoheterotrophic growth and cellular redox homeostasis in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803.

NAD kinase (NADK), which phosphorylates NAD to NADP, is one of the key enzymes regulating the cellular NADP(H) level. In Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, slr0400 and sll1415 were shown to encode NAD kinases. The NADP(H) pool in the cyanobacterium was remarkably reduced by an sll1415-null mutation but slightly reduced by an slr0400-null mutation. The reduction of the NADP(H) level in the sll1415 mutant led to a significant accumulation of glucose-6-phosphate and a loss of photoheterotrophic growth. As the primary NADK gene, sll1415 was found to inhibit the transcription of genes involved in redox homeostasis and to exert stronger effects on methyl viologen tolerance than slr0040.