[Cyanobacterial cell division: genetics and comparative genomics of cyanobacterial cell division].

Division of cyanobacteria serves as a model for studying division of plant chloroplasts. Analysis of mutants obtained by methods of "forward" and "reverse" genetics underlies effective vertical strategy for studying genetics of cell division in these photoautotrophic prokaryotes. Comparative genomic analysis indicates that some cyanobacterial genes involved in the control of cell division have homologs among cyanobacteria, green algae, and higher plants, some others, only in bacteria, whereas the remaining genes are specific only for cyanobacteria.