title: Fatty alcohols can complement functions of heterocyst specific glycolipids in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120.
abstract: Heterocyst glycolipid synthase (HglT) catalyzes the final step of heterocyst glycolipid (Hgl) biosynthesis, in which a glucose is transferred to the aglycone (fatty alcohol). Here we describe the isolation of hglT null mutants. These mutants lacked Hgls under nitrogen-starved conditions and instead accumulated fatty alcohols. Differentiated heterocyst cells in the mutants were morphologically indistinguishable from those of the wild-type cells. Interestingly, the mutants grew under nitrogen starvation but fixed nitrogen with lower nitrogenase activity than did the wild-type. The mutants had a pale green phenotype with a decreased chlorophyll content, especially under nitrogen-starved conditions. These results suggest that the glucose moiety of the Hgls may be necessary for optimal protection against oxygen influx but is not essential and that aglycones can function as barriers against oxygen influx in the heterocyst cells.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan; Department of Educational Chemistry, Indonesia University of Education, 40154 Bandung, Jawa Barat, Republic of Indonesia.
authors.forename: Heli Siti Munawaroh
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Halimatul
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan; JST, PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ehira
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan; JST, PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan; Graduate School of Science, Shizuoka University, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan; Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan. Electronic address: dkawai@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Awai
mesh_terms: D017033:Anabaena / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism*; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation / Q000502:physiology*; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D006017:Glycolipids; D010105:Oxygenases; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Anabaena; Fatty alcohols; Glycolipids; Glycosyltransferases; Heterocysts