Formation and maintenance of nitrogen-fixing cell patterns in filamentous cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria forming one-dimensional filaments are paradigmatic model organisms of the transition between unicellular and multicellular living forms. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, in filaments of the genus Anabaena, some cells differentiate into heterocysts, which lose the possibility to divide but are able to fix environmental nitrogen for the colony. These heterocysts form a quasiregular pattern in the filament, representing a prototype of patterning and morphogenesis in prokaryotes. Recent years have seen advances in the identification of the molecular mechanism regulating this pattern. We use these data to build a theory on heterocyst pattern formation, for which both genetic regulation and the effects of cell division and filament growth are key components. The theory is based

SUBMITTER: Munoz-Garcia J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4896711 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature