The circadian clock and darkness control natural competence in cyanobacteria

Taton, Arnaud; Erikson, Christian; Yang, Yiling; Rubin, Benjamin E. R.; Rifkin, Scott A.; Golden, James W.; Golden, Susan S.

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-15384-9

Cited by 82 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Molecular studies on the regulation of NC are concentrated on the gram negative Vibrio cholerae and the gram positive genera Bacillus and Streptococcus [55,56]. For the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 it was demonstrated recently that the circadian clock controls the expression of NTFs [23]. While in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 transformation efficiency peaks at dusk and early dark phase, transformation efficiency in Synechocystis sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The role of these proteins (among others) during natural transformation was recently also demonstrated in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 by a transposon mutagenesis approach [23]. In recent surveys, homologs of these and other competence related genes were found in many cyanobacterial genomes [23,24] but there is so far no experimental evidence for NT in a novel species since more than a decade.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Natural transformation of the filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium lacuna

Nies¹,

Mielke²,

Pochert³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Research for biotechnological applications of cyanobacteria focuses on synthetic pathways and bioreactor design, while little effort is devoted to introduce new, promising organisms in the field. Applications are most often based on recombinant work, and the establishment of transformation can be a risky, time-consuming procedure. In this work we demonstrate the natural transformation of the filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium lacuna and insertion of a selection marker into the genome by homologous recombination. This is the first example for natural transformation filamentous non-heterocystous cyanobacterium. We found that Phormidium lacuna is polyploid, each cell has about 20-90 chromosomes. Transformed filaments were resistant against up to 14 mg/ml of kanamycin. Formerly, natural transformation in cyanobacteria has been considered a rare and exclusive feature of a few unicellular species. Our finding suggests that natural competence is more distributed among cyanobacteria than previously thought. This is supported by bioinformatic analyses which show that all protein factors for natural transformation are present in the majority of the analyzed cyanobacteria.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Natural transformation of the filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium lacuna

Nies¹,

Mielke²,

Pochert³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…A similar scenario could also apply to cyanobacteria. For instance, PilA2 and/or other minor pilins in Synechocystis could function as DNA binding proteins similarly to PilA3 in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (hereafter S. elongatus ) [ 22 ]. However, this needs experimental validation.…”

Section: The Molecular Basis Of Natural Competencementioning

confidence: 99%

Function and Benefits of Natural Competence in Cyanobacteria: From Ecology to Targeted Manipulation

Schirmacher

Hanamghar

Zedler

2020

Life

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Natural competence is the ability of a cell to actively take up and incorporate foreign DNA in its own genome. This trait is widespread and ecologically significant within the prokaryotic kingdom. Here we look at natural competence in cyanobacteria, a group of globally distributed oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria. Many cyanobacterial species appear to have the genetic potential to be naturally competent, however, this ability has only been demonstrated in a few species. Reasons for this might be due to a high variety of largely uncharacterised competence inducers and a lack of understanding the ecological context of natural competence in cyanobacteria. To shed light on these questions, we describe what is known about the molecular mechanisms of natural competence in cyanobacteria and analyse how widespread this trait might be based on available genomic datasets. Potential regulators of natural competence and what benefits or drawbacks may derive from taking up foreign DNA are discussed. Overall, many unknowns about natural competence in cyanobacteria remain to be unravelled. A better understanding of underlying mechanisms and how to manipulate these, can aid the implementation of cyanobacteria as sustainable production chassis.

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“…Inactivation of Synpcc7942_0862 causes biofilm formation 19 and the protein encoded by this gene is also required for natural competence, the latter of which is known to need T4P. 20 A testable hypothesis is that the negatively and positively charged regions and hydrophobic pocket of Se0862 are sites of interaction with complementary sites on T4P components to regulate biofilm formation, pili biogenesis, and/or extension in cyanobacteria.…”

Section: Structural Properties and Potential Function Of Se0862mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…19 These data suggest that S. elongatus and Synechocystis employ different mechanisms for biofilm development. T4P biogenesis is under the control of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria, 20 used for extension, adhesion, retraction and motility, and plays a role in natural transformation by pulling exogenous DNA close to the cell surface. 21,22 Synpcc7942_0862 encodes a conserved hypothetical protein, Se0862, in S. elongatus, and its inactivation leads to biofilm development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solution NMR structure of Se0862, a highly conserved cyanobacterial protein involved in biofilm formation

et al. 2020

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Biofilms are accumulations of microorganisms embedded in extracellular matrices that protect against external factors and stressful environments. Cyanobacterial biofilms are ubiquitous and have potential for treatment of wastewater and sustainable production of biofuels. But the underlying mechanisms regulating cyanobacterial biofilm formation are unclear. Here, we report the solution NMR structure of a protein, Se0862, conserved across diverse cyanobacterial species and involved in regulation of biofilm formation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Se0862 is a class α+β protein with ααββββαα topology and roll architecture, consisting of a fourstranded β-sheet that is flanked by four α-helices on one side. Conserved surface residues constitute a hydrophobic pocket and charged regions that are likely also present in Se0862 orthologs.

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The circadian clock and darkness control natural competence in cyanobacteria

Cited by 82 publications

References 75 publications

Natural transformation of the filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium lacuna

Natural transformation of the filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium lacuna

Function and Benefits of Natural Competence in Cyanobacteria: From Ecology to Targeted Manipulation

Solution NMR structure of Se0862, a highly conserved cyanobacterial protein involved in biofilm formation

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