Impaired cell-cell communication in the multicellular cyanobacterium Anabaena affects carbon uptake, photosynthesis, and the cell wall

Spatio-temporal coherence of circadian clocks and temporal control of differentiation in Anabaena filaments

Circadian clock arrays in multicellular filaments of the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 display remarkable spatio-temporal coherence under nitrogen-replete conditions. To shed light on the interplay between circadian clocks and the formation of developmental patterns, we followed the expression of a clock-controlled gene under nitrogen deprivation, at the level of individual cells. Our experiments showed that differentiation into heterocysts took place preferentially within a limited interval of the circadian clock cycle, that gene expression in different vegetative intervals along a developed filament was discoordinated, and that the circadian clock was active in individual heterocysts. Furthermore, Anabaena mutants lacking the kaiABC genes encoding the circadian clock core components produced heterocysts but failed in diazotrophy. Therefore, genes related to some aspect of nitrogen fixation, rather than early or mid-heterocyst differentiation genes, are likely affected by the absence of the clock. A bioinformatics analysis supports the notion that RpaA may play a role as master regulator of clock outputs in Anabaena, the temporal control of differentiation by the circadian clock and the involvement of the clock in proper diazotrophic growth. Together, these results suggest that under nitrogen-deficient conditions, the clock coherent unit in Anabaena is reduced from a full filament under nitrogen-rich conditions to the vegetative cell interval between heterocysts.IMPORTANCECircadian clocks, from unicellular organisms to animals, temporally align biological processes to day and night cycles. We study the dynamics of a circadian clock-controlled gene at the individual cell level in the multicellular filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena, under nitrogen-stress conditions. Under these conditions, some cells along filaments differentiate to carry out atmospheric nitrogen fixation and lose their capability for oxygenic photosynthesis. We found that clock synchronization is limited to organismic units of contiguous photosynthetic cells, contrary to nitrogen-replete conditions in which clocks are synchronized over a whole filament. We provided evidence that the circadian clock regulates the process of differentiation, allowing it to occur preferentially within a limited time window during the circadian clock period. Lastly, we present evidence that the signal from the core clock to clock-regulated genes is conveyed in Anabaena as in unicellular cyanobacteria.

Evolution and synthetic biology

Evolutionary observations have often served as an inspiration for biological design. Decoding of the central dogma of life at a molecular level and understanding of the cellular biochemistry have been elegantly used to engineer various synthetic biology applications, including building genetic circuits in vitro and in cells, building synthetic translational systems, and metabolic engineering in cells to biosynthesize and even bioproduce complex high-value molecules. Here, we review three broad areas of synthetic biology that are inspired by evolutionary observations: (i) combinatorial approaches toward cell-based biomolecular evolution, (ii) engineering interdependencies to establish microbial consortia, and (iii) synthetic immunology. In each of the areas, we will highlight the evolutionary premise that was central toward designing these platforms. These are only a subset of the examples where evolution and natural phenomena directly or indirectly serve as a powerful source of inspiration in shaping synthetic biology and biotechnology.

The role of SepF in cell division and diazotrophic growth in the multicellular cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120

The cyanobacterium Anabaena forms filaments of cells that grow by intercalary cell division producing adjoined daughter cells connected by septal junction protein complexes that provide filament cohesion and intercellular communication, representing a genuine case of bacterial multicellularity. In spite of their diderm character, cyanobacterial genomes encode homologs of SepF, a protein normally found in Gram-positive bacteria. In Anabaena, SepF is an essential protein that localized to the cell division ring and the intercellular septa. Overexpression of sepF had detrimental effects on growth, provoking conspicuous alterations in cell morphology that resemble the phenotype of mutants impaired in cell division, and altered the localization of the division-ring. SepF interacted with FtsZ and with the essential FtsZ tether ZipN. Whereas SepF from unicellular bacteria generally induces the bundling of FtsZ filaments, Anabaena SepF inhibited FtsZ bundling, reducing the thickness of the toroidal aggregates formed by FtsZ alone and eventually preventing FtsZ polymerization. Thus, in Anabaena SepF appears to have an essential role in cell division by limiting the polymerization of FtsZ to allow the correct formation and localization of the Z-ring. Expression of sepF is downregulated during heterocyst differentiation, likely contributing to the inhibition of Z-ring formation in heterocysts. Finally, the localization of SepF in intercellular septa and its interaction with the septal-junction related proteins SepJ and SepI suggest a role of SepF in the formation or stability of the septal complexes that mediate cell-cell adhesion and communication, processes that are key for the multicellular behavior of Anabaena.

Unbalancing Zur (FurB)-mediated homeostasis in Anabaena sp. PCC7120: Consequences on metal trafficking, heterocyst development and biofilm formation

Zinc is required for the activity of many enzymes and plays an essential role in gene regulation and redox homeostasis. In Anabaena (Nostoc) sp. PCC7120, the genes involved in zinc uptake and transport are controlled by the metalloregulator Zur (FurB). Comparative transcriptomics of a zur mutant (Δzur) with the parent strain unveiled unexpected links between zinc homeostasis and other metabolic pathways. A notable increase in the transcription of numerous desiccation tolerance-related genes, including genes involved in the synthesis of trehalose and the transference of saccharide moieties, among many others, was detected. Biofilm formation analysis under static conditions revealed a reduced capacity of Δzur filaments to form biofilms compared to the parent strain, and such capacity was enhanced when Zur was overexpressed. Furthermore, microscopy analysis revealed that zur expression is required for the correct formation of the envelope polysaccharide layer in the heterocyst, as Δzur cells showed reduced staining with alcian blue compared to Anabaena sp. PCC7120. We suggest that Zur is an important regulator of the enzymes involved in the synthesis and transport of the envelope polysaccharide layer, influencing heterocyst development and biofilm formation, both relevant processes for cell division and interaction with substrates in its ecological niche.

Single-Cell Measurements of Fixation and Intercellular Exchange of C and N in the Filaments of the Heterocyst-Forming Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120

Under diazotrophic conditions, the model filamentous, heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 develops a metabolic strategy based on the physical separation of the processes of oxygenic photosynthesis, in vegetative cells, and N₂ fixation, in heterocysts. This strategy requires the exchange of carbon and nitrogen metabolites and their distribution along the filaments, which takes place through molecular diffusion via septal junctions involving FraCD proteins. Here, Anabaena was incubated in a time course (up to 20 h) with [¹³C]bicarbonate and ¹⁵N₂ and analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging (SIMS) (large-geometry SIMS [LG-SIMS] and NanoSIMS) to quantify C and N assimilation and distribution in the filaments. The ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios measured in wild-type filaments showed a general increase with time. The enrichment was relatively homogeneous in vegetative cells along individual filaments, while it was reduced in heterocysts. Heterocysts, however, accumulated recently fixed N at their poles, in which the cyanophycin plug [multi-l-arginyl-poly(l-aspartic acid)] is located. In contrast to the rather homogeneous label found along stretches of vegetative cells, ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios were significantly different between filaments both at the same and different time points, showing high variability in metabolic states. A fraC fraD mutant did not fix N₂, and the ¹³C/¹²C ratio was homogeneous along the filament, including the heterocyst in contrast to the wild type. Our results show the consumption of reduced C in the heterocysts associated with the fixation and export of fixed N and present an unpredicted heterogeneity of cellular metabolic activity in different filaments of an Anabaena culture under controlled conditions.

Heterocyst Septa Contain Large Nanopores That Are Influenced by the Fra Proteins in the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120

Multicellular heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria, such as Anabaena, grow as chains of cells forming filaments that, under diazotrophic conditions, contain two cell types: vegetative cells that perform oxygenic photosynthesis and N₂-fixing heterocysts. Along the filament, the intercellular septa contain a thick peptidoglycan layer that forms septal disks. Proteinaceous septal junctions connect the cells in the filament traversing the septal disks through nanopores. The fraCDE operon encodes proteins needed to make long filaments in Anabaena. FraC and FraD, located at the intercellular septa, are involved in the formation of septal junctions. Using a superfolder-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion, we found in this study that FraE is mainly localized to the poles of the heterocysts, consistent with the requirement of FraE for constriction of the heterocyst poles to form the "heterocyst neck." A fraE insertional mutant was impaired by 22% to 38% in transfer of fluorescent calcein from vegetative cells to heterocysts. Septal disks were inspected in murein sacculi from heterocyst-enriched preparations. Unexpectedly, the diameter of the nanopores in heterocyst septa was about 1.5- to 2-fold larger than in vegetative cell septa. The number of these nanopores was 76% and 6% of the wild-type number in fraE and fraC fraD mutants, respectively. Our results show that FraE is mainly involved in heterocyst maturation, whereas FraC and FraD are needed for the formation of the large nanopores of heterocyst septa, as they are for vegetative cell nanopores. Additionally, arrays of small pores conceivably involved in polysaccharide export were observed close to the septal disks in the heterocyst murein sacculus preparations. IMPORTANCE Intercellular communication, an essential attribute of multicellularity, is required for diazotrophic growth in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria such as Anabaena, in which the cells are connected by proteinaceous septal junctions that are structural analogs of metazoan connexons. The septal junctions allow molecular intercellular diffusion traversing the septal peptidoglycan through nanopores. In Anabaena the fraCDE operon encodes septal proteins involved in intercellular communication. FraC and FraD are components of the septal junctions along the filament, whereas here we show that FraE is mainly present at the heterocyst poles. We found that the intercellular septa in murein sacculi from heterocysts contain nanopores that are larger than those in vegetative cells, establishing a previously unknown difference between heterocyst and vegetative cell septa in Anabaena.

FurC (PerR) from Anabaena sp. PCC7120: a versatile transcriptional regulator engaged in the regulatory network of heterocyst development and nitrogen fixation

FurC (PerR) from Anabaena sp. PCC7120 was previously described as a key transcriptional regulator involved in setting off the oxidative stress response. In the last years, the cross-talk between oxidative stress, iron homeostasis and nitrogen metabolism is becoming more and more evident. In this work, the transcriptome of a furC-overexpressing strain was compared with that of a wild-type strain under both standard and nitrogen-deficiency conditions. The results showed that the overexpression of furC deregulates genes involved in several categories standing out photosynthesis, iron transport and nitrogen metabolism. The novel FurC-direct targets included some regulatory elements that control heterocyst development (hetZ and asr1734), genes directly involved in the heterocyst envelope formation (devBCA and hepC) and genes which participate in the nitrogen fixation process (nifHDK and nifH2, rbrA rubrerythrin and xisHI excisionase). Likewise, furC overexpression notably impacts the mRNA levels of patA encoding a key protein in the heterocyst pattern formation. The relevance of FurC in these processes is bringing out by the fact that the overexpression of furC impairs heterocyst development and cell growth under nitrogen step-down conditions. In summary, this work reveals a new player in the complex regulatory network of heterocyst formation and nitrogen fixation.

Coexistence of Communicating and Noncommunicating Cells in the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Anabaena

Multicellularity is found in bacteria as well as in eukaryotes, and the filamentous heterocyst-forming (N₂-fixing) cyanobacteria represent a simple and ancient paradigm of multicellular organisms. Multicellularity generally involves cell-cell adhesion and communication.

In filamentous heterocyst-forming (N₂-fixing) cyanobacteria, septal junctions join adjacent cells, mediating intercellular communication, and are thought to traverse the septal peptidoglycan through nanopores. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis with the fluorescent marker calcein showed that cultures of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 grown in the presence of combined nitrogen contained a substantial fraction of noncommunicating cells (58% and 80% of the tested vegetative cells in nitrate- and ammonium-grown cultures, respectively), whereas cultures induced for nitrogen fixation contained far fewer noncommunicating cells (16%). A single filament could have communicating and noncommunicating cells. These observations indicate that all (or most of) the septal junctions in a cell can be coordinately regulated and are coherent with the need for intercellular communication, especially under diazotrophic conditions. Consistently, intercellular exchange was observed to increase in response to N deprivation and to decrease rapidly in response to the presence of ammonium in the medium or to nitrate assimilation. Proteins involved in the formation of septal junctions have been identified in Anabaena and include SepJ, FraC, and FraD. Here, we reevaluated rates of intercellular transfer of calcein and the number of nanopores in mutants lacking these proteins and found a strong positive correlation between the two parameters only in cultures induced for nitrogen fixation. Thus, whereas the presence of a substantial number of noncommunicating cells appears to impair the correlation, data obtained in diazotrophic cultures support the idea that the nanopores are the structures that hold the septal junctions.

IMPORTANCE Multicellularity is found in bacteria as well as in eukaryotes, and the filamentous heterocyst-forming (N₂-fixing) cyanobacteria represent a simple and ancient paradigm of multicellular organisms. Multicellularity generally involves cell-cell adhesion and communication. The cells in the cyanobacterial filaments are joined by proteinaceous septal junctions that mediate molecular diffusion. The septal junctions traverse the septal peptidoglycan, which bears holes termed nanopores. Our results show that the septal junctions can be coordinately regulated in a cell and emphasize the relationship between septal junctions and nanopores to build intercellular communication structures, which are essential for the multicellular behavior of heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria.