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

ABSTRACT: 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 analy

SUBMITTER: Schirmacher AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7690421 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature