Ehira Shigeki, Ohmori Masayuki
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Saitama 338-8570, Japan.
J Bacteriol. 2006 Dec;188(24):8520-5. doi: 10.1128/JB.01314-06. Epub 2006 Oct 13.
Heterocyst differentiation in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 requires NtcA, the global nitrogen regulator in cyanobacteria, and HetR, the master regulator of heterocyst differentiation. Expression of hetR is upregulated by nitrogen deprivation, and its upregulation depends on NtcA. However, it has not yet been revealed how NtcA regulates the expression of hetR. In the experiments presented here, it was confirmed that NrrA (All4312), a nitrogen-responsive response regulator, was required for the upregulation of hetR. The use of the nitrogen-responsive transcription initiation sites (TISs) for the hetR gene depended upon NrrA. NrrA bound specifically to the region upstream of TISs located at positions -728 and -696 in vitro. Overexpression of nrrA resulted in enhanced hetR expression and heterocyst formation. A molecular regulatory cascade is proposed whereby NtcA upregulates the expression of nrrA upon limitation of combined nitrogen in the medium and then NrrA upregulates the expression of hetR, leading to heterocyst differentiation.
蓝藻鱼腥藻PCC 7120菌株中的异形胞分化需要蓝藻中的全局氮调节因子NtcA和异形胞分化的主要调节因子HetR。hetR的表达受氮剥夺上调,其上调依赖于NtcA。然而,尚未揭示NtcA如何调节hetR的表达。在本文所述的实验中,证实了氮响应调节因子NrrA(All4312)是hetR上调所必需的。hetR基因对氮响应转录起始位点(TISs)的利用依赖于NrrA。NrrA在体外特异性结合位于-728和-696位置的TISs上游区域。nrrA的过表达导致hetR表达增强和异形胞形成。提出了一种分子调节级联,即NtcA在培养基中化合态氮受限后上调nrrA的表达,然后NrrA上调hetR的表达,导致异形胞分化。