Bacterial cell division, with a few exceptions, is driven by FtsZ through a treadmilling mechanism to remodel and constrict the rigid peptidoglycan (PG) layer. Yet different organisms may differ in the composition of the cell division complex (divisome). In the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, hetF is required for the initiation of the differentiation of heterocysts, cells specialized in N2 fixation under combined-nitrogen deprivation. In this study, we demonstrate that hetF is expressed in vegetative cells and necessary for cell division under certain conditions. Under nonpermissive conditions, cells of a ΔhetF mutant stop dividing, consistent with increased levels of HetF under similar conditions in the wild type. Furthermore, HetF is a membrane protein located at midcell and cell-cell junctions. In the absence of HetF, FtsZ rings are still present in the elongated cells; however, PG remodeling is abolished. This phenotype is similar to that observed with the inhibition of the septal PG synthase FtsI. We further reveal that HetF is recruited to or stabilized at the divisome by interacting with FtsI and that this interaction is necessary for HetF function in cell division. Our results indicate that HetF is a member of the divisome depending mainly on light intensity and reveal distinct features of the cell division machinery in cyanobacteria that are of high ecological and environmental importance. IMPORTANCE Cyanobacteria shaped the Earth's evolutionary history and are still playing important roles for elementary cycles in different environments. They consist of highly diverse species with different cell shapes, sizes, and morphologies. Although these properties are strongly affected by the process of cytokinesis, the mechanism remains largely unexplored. Using different approaches, we demonstrate that HetF is a new component of the cell division machinery under certain environmental conditions in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. The common and diverged characteristics of cell division in prokaryotes reflect the evolutionary history of different bacteria as an adaptive measure to proliferate under certain environmental conditions. As a protein for cell differentiation, the recruitment of HetF to the septum illustrates such an adaptive mechanism in cyanobacteria.
Keywords: FtsZ; cell division; cyanobacteria; heterocysts; peptidoglycan.