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Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120 hetY Gene Influences Heterocyst Development

Ho-Sung Yoon, Martin H. Lee, Jin Xiong, and James W. Golden^*

Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3258

Received 23 June 2003/ Accepted 10 September 2003

The filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena (Nostoc) sp. strain PCC 7120 responds to starvation for fixed nitrogen by producing a semiregular pattern of nitrogen-fixing cells called heterocysts. Overexpression of the hetY gene partially suppressed heterocyst formation, resulting in an abnormal heterocyst pattern. Inactivation of hetY increased the time required for heterocyst maturation and caused defects in heterocyst morphology. The 489-bp hetY gene (alr2300), which is adjacent to patS (asl2301), encodes a protein that belongs to a conserved family of bacterial hypothetical proteins that contain an ATP-binding motif.

Present address: Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.