Quantification of cyanobacterial cyclic di-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Cyclic di-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a second messenger found ubiquitously in bacteria. This signaling molecule regulates a variety of physiological activities such as phototaxis and flocculation in cyanobacteria and is critical for their environmental adaptation. Although genes encoding the enzymes for synthesis and/or degradation of c-di-GMP are found in the genomes of both multicellular and unicellular cyanobacteria, little is known about the biological functions of these enzymes in cyanobacterial cells. Here we have established a robust and highly sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based method for c-di-GMP quantification using a cost-effective solvent, methanol. Quantification methods were validated by measuring c-di-GMP in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 through spiking and recovery assays after which the method was applied to examine short-term changes in cellular levels of c-di-GMP in response to a transition from light to dark or from dark to light in S. elongatus. Results showed that a transient increase in c-di-GMP upon transitioning from light to dark was occurring which resembled responses involving cyclic adenosine monophosphate and other second messengers in cyanobacteria. These findings demonstrated that our method enabled relatively specific and sensitive quantification of c-di-GMP in cyanobacteria at lower cost.