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Journal of Bacteriology, May 2007, p. 3884-3890, Vol. 189, No. 10
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00085-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Septum-Localized Protein Required for Filament Integrity and Diazotrophy in the Heterocyst-Forming Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120{triangledown}

Enrique Flores,1* Rafael Pernil,1 Alicia M. Muro-Pastor,1 Vicente Mariscal,1 Iris Maldener,2,{dagger} Sigal Lechno-Yossef,3 Qing Fan,3,{ddagger} C. Peter Wolk,3 and Antonia Herrero1

Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, C.S.I.C., Universidad de Sevilla, E-41092 Seville, Spain,1 Lehrstuhl für Zellbiologie und Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Regensburg, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany,2 MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory and Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 488243

Received 16 January 2007/ Accepted 6 March 2007

Heterocysts, formed when filamentous cyanobacteria, such as Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, are grown in the absence of combined nitrogen, are cells that are specialized in fixing atmospheric nitrogen (N2) under oxic conditions and that transfer fixed nitrogen to the vegetative cells of the filament. Anabaena sp. mutants whose sepJ gene (open reading frame alr2338 of the Anabaena sp. genome) was affected showed filament fragmentation and arrested heterocyst differentiation at an early stage. In a sepJ insertional mutant, a layer similar to a heterocyst polysaccharide layer was formed, but the heterocyst-specific glycolipids were not synthesized. The sepJ mutant did not exhibit nitrogenase activity even when assayed under anoxic conditions. In contrast to proheterocysts produced in the wild type, those produced in the sepJ mutant still divided. SepJ is a multidomain protein whose N-terminal region is predicted to be periplasmic and whose C-terminal domain resembles an export permease. Using a green fluorescent protein translationally fused to the carboxyl terminus of SepJ, we observed that in mature heterocysts and vegetative cells, the protein is localized at the intercellular septa, and when cell division starts, it is localized in a ring whose position is similar to that of a Z ring. SepJ is a novel composite protein needed for filament integrity, proper heterocyst development, and diazotrophic growth.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Américo Vespucio 49, E-41092 Seville, Spain. Phone: 34 954 489523. Fax: 34 954 460065. E-mail: eflores{at}ibvf.csic.es

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 16 March 2007.

{dagger} Present address: Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie/Organismische Interaktionen, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.

{ddagger} Present address: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2007, p. 3884-3890, Vol. 189, No. 10
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00085-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Paz-Yepes, J., Merino-Puerto, V., Herrero, A., Flores, E. (2008). The amt Gene Cluster of the Heterocyst-Forming Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120. J. Bacteriol. 190: 6534-6539 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Moslavac, S., Nicolaisen, K., Mirus, O., Al Dehni, F., Pernil, R., Flores, E., Maldener, I., Schleiff, E. (2007). A TolC-Like Protein Is Required for Heterocyst Development in Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120. J. Bacteriol. 189: 7887-7895 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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