Flores Enrique, Herrero Antonia, Wolk C Peter, Maldener Iris
Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, C.S.I.C.-Universidad de Sevilla, Américo Vespucio 49, E-41092 Seville, Spain.
Trends Microbiol. 2006 Oct;14(10):439-43. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2006.08.007. Epub 2006 Aug 23.
Filamentous, heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria are multicellular organisms in which individual cells exchange nutrients and, presumably, regulatory molecules. Unknown mechanisms underlie this exchange. Classical electron microscopy shows that filamentous cyanobacteria bear a Gram-negative cell wall comprising a peptidoglycan layer and an outer membrane that are external to the cytoplasmic membrane, and that the outer membrane appears to be continuous along the filament of cells. This implies that the periplasmic space between the cytoplasmic and outer membranes might also be continuous. We propose that a continuous periplasm could constitute a communication conduit for the transfer of compounds, which is essential for the performance of these bacteria as multicellular organisms.
丝状、形成异形胞的蓝细菌是多细胞生物，其中单个细胞会交换营养物质，可能还有调节分子。这种交换背后的机制尚不清楚。经典电子显微镜显示，丝状蓝细菌具有革兰氏阴性细胞壁，该细胞壁由肽聚糖层和位于细胞质膜外部的外膜组成，并且外膜似乎沿着细胞丝连续。这意味着细胞质膜和外膜之间的周质空间也可能是连续的。我们提出，连续的周质可以构成化合物转移的通讯管道，这对于这些细菌作为多细胞生物的功能至关重要。
