Kirstin Gutekunst

Comprehensive study on ferredoxin isoforms in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

This study identifies and characterizes ferredoxin isoforms in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, revealing their redox properties and functional roles in electron transfer under varying environmental conditions.

Physiological basis of photosynthetic hydrogen production in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis

This study investigates the physiological mechanisms of photosynthetic hydrogen production in Synechocystis, identifying factors that enhance and limit H2 yield in wildtype and engineered strains.

Story about honest mistakes: The cyanobacterium Synechocystis has a promiscuous Entner-Doudoroff (ED) aldolase but no functional ED pathway.

This study revisits the claim of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway in Synechocystis, showing that while the aldolase is present, the full pathway is absent due to missing enzymes and experimental errors.

Electron confurcation drives photosynthetic H2 production in cyanobacteria

This study identifies the electron partners of the HoxEFUYH hydrogenase in cyanobacteria, revealing its role in coupling reduced ferredoxin with NADH for H2 production.

Easy-to-use whole-genome sequencing workflows and standardized practices to uncover hidden genetic variation in Synechocystis PCC 6803 wild-type and knock-out strains

This paper develops workflows for whole-genome sequencing to identify genetic variation in Synechocystis strains and highlights the importance of strain validation in knock-out studies.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) fine-tunes heterotrophic growth in cyanobacteria

This study identifies FBPase in Synechocystis as a monofunctional enzyme that supports heterotrophic growth without redox regulation, distinct from the bifunctional F/SBPase.

Dynamic photosynthetic labelling and carbon-positional mass spectrometry monitor in vivo carbon assimilation rates by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase.

This paper develops a method to distinguish RUBISCO activity from CBB cycle activities by analyzing carbon positional labeling in 3PGA using GC-MS after 13CO2 labeling.

Structural basis of the allosteric regulation of cyanobacterial glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase by the redox sensor OpcA

The paper investigates how OpcA regulates G6PDH in cyanobacteria through redox-dependent conformational changes, revealing a novel allosteric mechanism.