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PubMed · 9794762

Heterocyst pattern formation controlled by a diffusible peptide.

H S Yoon·J W Golden
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Abstract

Many filamentous cyanobacteria grow as multicellular organisms that show a developmental pattern of single nitrogen-fixing heterocysts separated by approximately 10 vegetative cells. Overexpression of a 54-base-pair gene, patS, blocked heterocyst differentiation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. A patS null mutant showed an increased frequency of heterocysts and an abnormal pattern. Expression of a patS-gfp reporter was localized in developing proheterocysts. The addition of a synthetic peptide corresponding to the last five amino acids of PatS inhibited heterocyst development. PatS appears to control heterocyst pattern formation through intercellular signaling mechanisms.

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Amino Acid SequenceAnabaenaBacterial ProteinsBase SequenceCosmidsCulture MediaDiffusionGenes, BacterialGenes, ReporterGenetic Complementation TestMolecular Sequence DataMutation, MissenseNitratesNitrogen FixationOligopeptidesPeptide FragmentsPhenotypePromoter Regions, GeneticRecombinant Fusion ProteinsSignal TransductionTranscription, GeneticJournal ArticleResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

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H S Yoon, J W Golden. 1998-10-30. Heterocyst pattern formation controlled by a diffusible peptide.. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.282.5390.935

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