title: Heterocyst pattern formation controlled by a diffusible peptide.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Golden
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017033:Anabaena / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003360:Cosmids; D003470:Culture Media; D004058:Diffusion; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D009566:Nitrates; D009842:Oligopeptides; C115380:PatS protein, Anabaena; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins