Haselkorn Robert
Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, 920 East 58 Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Mol Microbiol. 2008 Nov;70(4):783-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2008.06475.x.
Although cytoplasmic bridges between adjacent cells in the filaments of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria have been known for decades, the existence also of a continuous periplasm along the filaments raised the possibility that alternative modes of communication between cells could be utilized. The latter hypothesis was investigated by using GFP fusions to proteins whose expression is cell-specific and engineered to be transported into the periplasm. Two groups have recently obtained contradictory results, one supporting periplasmic transport of GFP from cell to cell, the other not. A third effort, involving members of the first group, used a smaller, soluble fluorophore and found rapid communication via the cytoplasmic bridges between cells. The dilemma of periplasmic diffusion remains unresolved.
尽管固氮蓝藻丝状体中相邻细胞间的胞质桥已被知晓数十年，但沿丝状体还存在连续周质这一情况，引发了细胞间可能利用其他通讯方式的可能性。通过使用绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）与细胞特异性表达且经设计可转运至周质的蛋白质融合体，对后一种假设进行了研究。最近有两个团队得出了相互矛盾的结果，一个支持GFP在细胞间的周质运输，另一个则不支持。第三个研究团队（其中包括第一个团队的成员）使用了一种更小的可溶性荧光团，发现细胞间可通过胞质桥进行快速通讯。周质扩散的困境仍未得到解决。
