Cell-specific gene expression in Anabaena variabilis grown phototrophically, mixotrophically, and heterotrophically.

ABSTRACT:

Background

When the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis grows aerobically without combined nitrogen, some vegetative cells differentiate into N2-fixing heterocysts, while the other vegetative cells perform photosynthesis. Microarrays of sequences within protein-encoding genes were probed with RNA purified from extracts of vegetative cells, from isolated heterocysts, and from whole filaments to investigate transcript levels, and carbon and energy metabolism, in vegetative cells and heterocysts in phototrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic cultures.

Results

Heterocysts represent only 5% to 10% of cells in the filaments. Accordingly, levels of specific transcripts in vegetative cells were with few exceptions very close to those in whole filaments and, also with few

SUBMITTER: Park JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4046671 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature