Septal Junctions in Filamentous Heterocyst-Forming Cyanobacteria

Enrique Flores; Antonia Herrero; Karl Forchhammer; Iris Maldener

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2015.11.011

Septal Junctions in Filamentous Heterocyst-Forming Cyanobacteria

Trends Microbiol. 2016 Feb;24(2):79-82. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2015.11.011. Epub 2015 Dec 31.

Authors

Enrique Flores¹, Antonia Herrero², Karl Forchhammer³, Iris Maldener³

Affiliations

¹ Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avenida Américo Vespucio 49, Sevilla, E-41092, Spain. Electronic address: eflores@ibvf.csic.es.
² Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avenida Américo Vespucio 49, Sevilla, E-41092, Spain.
³ Department of Microbiology/Organismic Interactions, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.

PMID: 26748968
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2015.11.011

Abstract

In the filaments of heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria, septal junctions that traverse the septal peptidoglycan join adjacent cells, allowing intercellular communication. Perforations in the septal peptidoglycan have been observed, and proteins involved in the formation of such perforations and putative protein components of the septal junctions have been identified, but their relationships are debated.

Keywords: Anabaena; cell envelope; cyanobacteria; intercellular communication; multicellularity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bacterial Proteins / genetics
Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
Cell Wall / genetics
Cell Wall / metabolism
Cyanobacteria / genetics
Cyanobacteria / growth & development*
Cyanobacteria / metabolism*
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
Peptidoglycan / metabolism

Substances

Bacterial Proteins
Peptidoglycan