Journal of General Microbiology (1984), 130, 789-796. Printed in Great Britain 789 Heterocyst Differentiation in Cylindrospevmum Iichenqovme: Studies on the Role of Transcription By S U S A N V A N D E W A T E R ? A N D R O B E R T D . S I M O N * $ Department of Biology, Unicersitj7 qf' Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, U S A (Receiwd K October 1983) Heterocysts of the cyanobacterium Cji/indrospermum licheniforme occur at the ends of the filaments. These cells, specialized for aerobic N fixation, synchronously differentiate after the fragmentation of filaments grown in a medium free of combined nitrogen. This study has examined the role of transcription during and after heterocyst differentiation. Autoradiography of intact filaments pre-labelled for 3 h with [3H]uracil revealed that R N A synthesis occurred at similar rates in vegetative cells, developing (pro)heterocysts and mature heterocysts. Since mature heterocysts no longer divide and contain a similar amount of D N A as vegetative cells, transcription must continue under conditions where replication no longer occurs. Rifdmpicin, when added to fragmented filaments at concentrations that reduced R N A synthesis by 95 % in all cell types, inhibited proheterocyst formation but not the final morphological step of differentiation (pore plug deposition). However, chloramphenicol blocked all stages of heterocyst differentiation. Since the average m R N A half-life was 29 min, and the rifdmpicininsensitive stage lasted 3-6 h, the later stages of differentiation may depend on long-lived mRNAs. INTRODUCTION Several groups of the filamentous cyanobacteria produce heterocysts, cells specialized for aerobic N z fixation (Heselkorn, 1978). In Cj,/indrosperrnurn licheniforme Kiitz. the heterocysts are located at the ends of the filaments. When cultures of this organism growing in nitrogen-free medium are briefly sonicated, existing heterocysts are detached and the filaments are broken into fragments of 3-5 cells long whose terminal cells differentiate synchronously (Van de Water & Simon, 1982). In the first round of differentiation, new proheterocysts appear after 9-12 h and reach a maximum number at 15 h. Mature heterocysts form after 15 & 1 h, and 12-1 5 %of all cells in the culture become morphologically mature heterocysts with characteristic pore plugs within 26 h. The sequence in which several heterocyst-specific traits appear following filament fragmentation has been characterized. For example, nitrogenase activity increases in parallel with the mature heterocyst frequency between 15 and 26 h (Van de Water & Simon, 1982). Heterocyst differentiation may be irreversible. In most species, the mature heterocyst cannot divide (Fritsch, 1945), although rare cases of heterocyst division or germination have been reported (Ladha & Kumar, 1975). Using microsurgical techniques, Wilcox et al. (1973) showed that the destruction of adjacent vegetative cells caused an early proheterocyst to regress and resume vegetative division. However, similar surgical isolation of a late proheterocyst or mature heterocyst no longer induced regression. Electron microscopy has shown that the nuclear and thylakoid regions of vegetative cells are reorganized during heterocyst differentiation (Lang & Fay, 1971). Mature heterocysts are filled with contorted membrane, and a nucleoid region with its fibrous DN A-containing material is not visible, although chemical measurements indicate t Present address: 25291 I H 10 W , Lot no 2. San Antonio, TX 78252, USA. of Biology, State llniversity of New York, Geneseo, New York 14454, USA. 3 Present address: Department Abbrrrratrons G6PDH, Glucose-6-phosphcite dehydrogenase. 6PDH, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. 0023-1287'84~00C)1-0349$02 00 0 1984 SGM Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 790 S . VAN DE W A T E R AN D R . D . S I M O N that heterocysts contain as much as DNA as vegetative cells (Simon, 1980). Little is known about the capacity of mature heterocysts to synthesize macromolecules, or about the relationship between the 'reversibility' of differentiation and the potential for mature heterocysts to produce new RNA and proteins. Recent studies suggest that mature heterocysts can synthesize protein (Janaki & Wolk, 1982), and Thomas (1972) has shown that heterocysts in old cultures of Anabaena L-3 1 can resynthesize the phycocyanin which initially disappears during differentiation. There have been few studies of the relative importance of transcription during heterocyst differentiation and in the functioning of mature heterocysts, although the complex changing pattern of protein synthesis which takes place during heterocyst differentiation (Fleming & Haselkorn, 1974) suggests that significant changes in transcription probably occur. This paper reports the results of studies on transcription during proheterocyst and heterocyst differentiat ion. ME T HO D S Culture conditions. An axenic isolate of Cylindrospermum licheniforme Kiitz., derived from strain B 1828 of the University of Texas culture collection (UTEX) (Fisher & Wolk, 1976) was grown in the nitrogen-free medium of Allen & Arnon (1955) diluted 16-fold (AA/l6). Growth conditions and procedures for heterocyst induction were as described by Van de Water & Simon (1982). Measurement of macromolecular synthesis. R N A synthesis was measured as the rate of incorporation of [5,63H]uracil [44.5Ci (1.65 TBq) mmol-I ; 1 pCi ml-1 in the growth medium] into material precipitable with 576 (w/v) TCA at 4 "C. TCA precipitates were collected on premoistened Whatman G F j C filters, and were washed three times with cold 10% (w/v) TCA and once with 957; (v/v) ethanol. Radioactivity was determined by liquid scintillation counting in 2 ml scintillation fluid (0.25 g M2POPOP, 4.0 g PPO per litre toluene). Uracil was also incorporated into D N A , and this incorporation was measured as the amount of [3H]uracil remaining TCAprecipitable after incubation in 0.6 M-NaOH at 37 "C for 20 h. Samples were neutralized with HCl prior to TCA precipitation. The rate of R N A synthesis was corrected for the fraction incorporated into D N A . Incorporation of [ 'T]phenylalanine into TCA-precipitable material was used as a measure of protein synthesis. Precipitates were treated with pronase in order to verify their protein nature. [ I-ITIPhenylalanine (536 mCi mmol-' ; 19.8 GBq mmol-I) was added at 0.1 pCi ml-I to cultures buffered with 0.1 M-TES. pH 8.0. The pronase (Calbiochem B-grade, nuclease free) was predigested (20 mg ml- in 0.01 M-TrisiHC1 pH 7.6) for 3 h at 37 "C in order to degrade any endogenous nucleases. Solutions of inhibitors of macromolecular synthesis were freshly prepared and filter-sterilized (0.45 pm Millipore HAWP-1300) for each experiment. To study the effects of inhibitors on macromolecular synthesis, [3H]uracil was added to duplicate cultures at 1 pCi m l - l , and inhibitors were added to one of the cultures 3060 rnin later. Samples were removed at various times from both cultures. Inhibition of D N A and R N A synthesis was determined by comparing the linear rates of incorporation between 3 and 6 h after inhibitor addition. Mensurement o f m R N A h a l f - l ~ The f ~ . half-life of m R N A was calculated from the rate at which [3H]uracil was lost from TCA-precipitable material after pie-labelled cells were treated with rifampicin, an inhibitor of R N A synthesis. f3H]Uracil was added to a culture of C. lichen(forme at 1 pCi m l - l , and rifampicin (10 pg m l - I ) was added 60 min later. Samples were removed at various times, precipitated in TCA, and collected on GFIC filters. Radioactivity was determined by liquid scintillation counting. The data were computer-fitted to a first-order decay curve: fraction c.p.m. remaining = eLtwhere k is the decay constant and f is the time in min. As an additional measure of mRNA half-life, the decline in the rate of protein synthesis was determined after the addition of an inhibitor of R N A synthesis (Smith, 1979). ['TIPhenylalanine (536 mCi mmol- ; 19.8 GBq mmol- I ) was added to a growing culture at 0.5 pCi ml- I , and rifampicin (10 pg ml- I ) was added after 60 min. Samples were removed at various times, precipitated in cold 57; (w/v) TCA, and collected on GFIC filters. Radioactivity was determined by liquid scintillation counting. R N A qxthesis in djfjerent cell types: ,fi/amwt autorariiographj~. Filaments were labelled with [3H]uracil (10 pCi m l - ! ) for 3 h, with or without I h pretreatment with rifampicin (20 pg m1-I). Cell samples were centrifuged at room temperature for 5 min at IOOOg, and resuspended in growth medium to lo8 cells ml- I . Drops of these concentrated cell suspensions were fixed on subbed slides [0.17: (w/v) gelatin, 0.01 7" (wiv) chromic potassium sulphate] with Carnoy's fixative (ethanol/chloroform/acetic acid, 6 : 3 : I , by vol.), and air dried at 40 "C. The slides were dipped in acid alcohol (acetic acid!ethanol, 3 : I , v/v) for 5 min at room temperature, twice in 5 S , (w/v) TCA for 5 min at 4 'T,and then dehydrated through an ethanol series (500/",7096. so:;, 95",, by vol.) before being air dried. After the acid alcohol treatment, control slides were treated with 0.20, (wlv) RNAase at 37 "C for 1 h for the removal of R N A , or with So/, (w/v) TCA at 90 "C for 15 min for the removal of all nucleic acids. The slides were coated with Kodak NTB-2 radioautographic emulsion, and kept at 4 "C for 1 week to 3 months. They Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 79 1 Transcription and heterocyst differentiation were developed using Kodak D19 developer (2.5 min), Kodak indicator stop bath (20 s), and Kodak rapid fix ( 5 min). Grains were scored under 650 x magnification with phase contrast optics on a Zeiss standard microscope. Data were expressed as the number of grains per cell per day of emulsion exposure, and are given the 95% confidence limits which were computed as tous ( n - 1) x sin, where s = standard deviation, n = number of cells scored, and t o u s ( n - 1) = two-sided t distribution. Enzyme assays. Nitrogenase activity was measured using an acetylene reduction assay (Stewart er al., 1968). The first two enzymes of the pentose phosphate shunt [glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH, EC 1.1.1.49) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PDH, EC 1.1.1.44)]were measured as previously described (Van de Water & Simon, 1982). RESULTS Macromolecular synthesis Cells of an exponentially growing culture incorporated up to 20% of uracil added to the medium into TCA-precipitable material in 48 h, although the most rapid incorporation occurred over the first 8-10 h. Uracil was slowly incorporated into DNA at a constant rate for at least 24 h. During the first 8-10 h, 1-2% of the [3H]uracilwas found in DNA, increasing to 10% at 24 h. Uridine, thymine, thymidine and cytosine were poorly incorporated into nucleic acids. [ 14C]Phenylalaninewas specifically incorporated into proteins; up to 50% of the labelled phenylalanine was TCA-insoluble after 24 h, and > 90% of this radioactivity was solubilized by p ronase. Whole filament autoradiography showed that vegetative cells, proheterocysts and heterocysts incorporated uracil with approximately equal efficiency (Table 1). Treatment with RNAase or hot TCA reduced the number of grains per cell by 9504. DNA synthesis, measured as the difference between the grain counts after RNAase treatment and those after hot TCA treatment, accounted for only 1-2% of the total incorporation. Although proheterocysts were not morphologically distinguishable until 9 h after filament fragmentation, the terminal cells destined to become proheterocysts incorporated [3H]uracilslightly more rapidly than intercalary cells of the same filament. Inhibitors qf' mucromolecular synthesis Rifampicin, 5-fluorouracil and proflavin all effectively inhibited RNA synthesis (Table 2), and had no short term effect on the uptake of labelled precursors (data not shown). Rifampicin inhibited RNA synthesis equally well in vegetative cells, developing proheterocysts, and mature heterocysts (Table 1). The effect of rifampicin and 5-fluorouracil on RNA synthesis in intact filaments was irreversible after 15 min. Although rifampicin, actinomycin D, and proflavin are destroyed by visible light, the effects of these compounds were not changed when cultures were shielded from that portion of the visible spectrum which the inhibitors absorb. DNA synthesis was totally blocked by actinomycin D, mitomycin C and novobiocin, but not by nalidixic acid or 2'-deoxyadenosine (Table 2). Novobiocin was the only DNA synthesis Table 1 . Effect of rlfampicin on R N A qxthesis in zwrious cell types of' Cylindrosperrnum licheniforme [ \H]Uracil incorporated (grains per cell d - I ) Cell type Control Intact filaments* Heterocysts Vegetative cells Fragmented filaments? Proheterocysts (terminal cells) Vegetative cells (intercalary cells) * Exponentially growing cells in 10.8 10.9 k 0.57 0.19 13.6 f 0.49 8.6 k 0.37 Rifampicin treated Percentage (20 pg ml- I ) inhibition 0.345 0.370 0.087 0.014 96.8 96.6 0.358 i 0.060 0.180 f 0.010 97.4 97.9 3 d cultures t Analysed 12 h after the filaments were fragmented. a period of maximal differentiation. Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 792 S . VAN DE W A T E R AND R. D. S I M O N Table 2. Effect of' inhibitors on macromolecular synthesis in intact $laments of' Cvlindrospermum licheniforme Percentage inhibition of synthesis Inhibitor Concn* Rifampicin 2 5 5 50 5 50 5 50 5 50 5 50 5 100 10 100 5-Fluorouracil Proflavin Actinomycin D Mitomycin C Nalidixic acid Novobiocin 2'-Deox yadenosine * pg ml-' except for actinomycin D f 3 RNA DNA 80 95-100 89 95-100 41 100 18 80 74 100 54 61 6 21 33 60 100 100 81 100 76 100 0 31 100 100 0 78 ot 100 0 46 (p~). Novobiocin had no effect on RNA synthesis for 6 h. Thereafter, inhibition was nearly complete. inhibitor which at low concentrations did not have any immediate effect on RNA synthesis. The effect of novobiocin on DNA synthesis remained reversible for up to 3 h. Chloramphenicol at 50 pg ml- completely inhibited protein synthesis, and had no effect on RNA synthesis for at least 12 h. Effect of inhibitors on differentiation To determine whether continued RNA synthesis was required for heterocyst differentiation, rifampicin (20 pg ml- l ) was added at various times following filament fragmentation. At 30 h, when heterocyst differentiation was complete in control samples, rifampicin-treated samples were examined for the presence of proheterocysts and mature heterocysts. If rifampicin was added during the first 12 h of differentiation, proheterocysts, which take 9-12 h to appear, did not form. However, if rifampicin was added more than 12 h after fragmentation, a significant percentage of existing proheterocysts continued differentiation to become mature heterocysts. When compared to the plot of heterocyst frequency at the time of rifampicin addition, the plot of heterocyst frequency at 30 h after the time of rifampicin addition is congruent but shifted by 36 h (Fig. 1). Similar results were obtained when rifampicin concentrations were varied from 10 to 100 pg ml- l , or when 5-fluorouracil (20 pg ml- l ) was used, although 5-fluorouracil caused vegetative cells to disintegrate after 12 h of exposure. The heterocyst frequencies in rifampicintreated samples were similar when measured at 24,30 or 48 h after drug addition (Fig. 1). Thus, rifampicin did not merely slow development. Chloramphenicol (50 pg ml-I) halted the differentiation of heterocysts at all stages. To determine whether transcription must continue for G6PDH, 6PDH and nitrogenase activities to increase during heterocyst development, rifampicin (20 pg ml- ) or chloramphenicol(50 pg ml- I ) was added at various times during the first 24 h after filament fragmentation. The activities (mg protein)-' of 6PDH or G6PDH remained constant or declined slightly between an assay at the time of addition and a second assay at 30 h; i.e. if the data are plotted as in Fig. 1, the rifampicin curve coincides with the control curve. Thus, synthesis of new enzyme was rapidly inhibited (see measurements of mRNA half-life below), and no rifampicininsensitive period of 3-6 h was apparent in the increasing activities of these enzymes during differentiation. Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 793 Transcription crnd heterocyst dgferentiation I 10 20 30 Time after filament fragmentation ( h ) I 1 I 100 150 Time (min) 50 1 I 200 Fig. 2 Fig. 1 Fig. 1. Effect of rifampicin on heterocyst differentiation in C . fichengforme.Samples were removed from a culture at various times following filament fragmentation, and rifampicin was added at a final concentration of 20 pg ml- The frequency of mature heterocysts in each sample was determined at the time of rifampicin addition and 30 h after fragmentation (0). (a), Fig. 2. Effect of rifampicin, 5-fluorouracil and chloramphenicol on nitrogenase activity in C. licheniforme. Samples (10 ml) of cell suspension were placed in 50 ml Erlenmeyer flasks. Immediately following the addition of rifampicin (2 pg m l - 1: A),5-fluorouraci1(20 pg ml- ; O), or chloramphenicontained col(50 pg ml- ; O ) ,acetylene was added at loo/, of the total flask volume. Control flasks no inhibitors. The flasks were incubated in the light, and at various times 0-3 ml gas samples were removed and analysed for nitrogenase-catalysed ethylene production by gas chromatography. (a) 90 80 70 - 00 I I I I I I 1 2 I I I I 5 6 d 60 60 120 180 Time (min) 240 Fig. 3 3 4 Time (h) Fig. 4 Fig. 3. Effect of rifampicin on t3H]uracil incorporation into TCA-precipitable material in intact filaments of C . licheniforme. Filaments were labelled for 1 h with [3H]uracil, and then rifampicin (10 pg ml- l ) was added. Radioactivity in TCA-insoluble material is presented as the percentage of c.p.m. incorporated at 60 min. The data given are a composite of three separate experiments. Fig. 4. Effect of rifampicin on [ “Tlphenylalanine incorporation into TCA-precipitable material in intact filaments of C. licheniforme. Filaments were labelled with [ 14C]phenylalanine, and rifampicin (10 pg ml- ’) was added at the time indicated by the arrow. The total residual capacity for protein synthesis after the addition of rifampicin is designated by T. Unlike the enzymes of the pentose phosphate shunt, nitrogenase activity of exponentially growing, intact filaments was directly inhibited by rifampicin (Fig. 2). If the filaments were incubated under N 2 rather than under air, rifampicin had a less severe effect on nitrogenase activity. For example, 10 pg rifampicin ml- inhibited nitrogenase activity by 90% under air but by only 10% under N 2 . Chloramphenicol had no effect on nitrogenase activity for at least 12 h, while 5-fluorouracil, at concentrations sufficient to inhibit RNA synthesis, had no immediate effect on nitrogenase activity (Table 2, Fig. 2). Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 794 S . V A N DE W A T E R AND R. D . S I M O N Determination of m R N A half-life Since the rifampicin-insensitive period during heterocyst differentiation could depend on continued translation from long-lived mRNA, the average half-life of mRNA was determined. The rate of decline in the amount of [3H]uracil in TCA-insoluble material induced by the addition of rifampicin indicated that the half-life of unstable mRNA was approximately 29 min (Fig. 3). As an alternative approach to determining the half-life of functional mRNA, the decline in the rate of protein synthesis following the addition of rifampicin was also measured (Smith, 1979). Three hours after the addition of rifampicin to a pre-labelled culture, the amount of [’ “Clphenylalanine in TCA-precipitable material reached a plateau (Fig. 4). The difference between the amount of incorporated phenylalanine at the plateau and the amount at any given time declined exponentially. From this exponential decline, the half-life of functional mRNA in 3 d cultures was calculated as 29.5 and 31.7 min in two independent experiments. DISCUSSION As in other species of cyanobacteria, few labelled nucleotides or nucleosides were effective precursors of macromolecular synthesis when added to the culture medium of C. licheniforme, and uracil was the choice for labelling RNA (Glaser et al., 1973). On the basis of whole-filament autoradiography, heterocysts and vegetative cells incorporated uracil at similar rates, and thus probably synthesized RNA at similar rates (Table 1). This finding is in agreement with observations that heterocysts continue to synthesize proteins (Janaki & Wolk, 1982). The amount of RNA in heterocysts is several times that of vegetative cells (Simon, 1979), a result expected for continued RNA synthesis in a non-dividing cell. Why transcription continues in heterocysts under conditions where DNA accumulation stops is not known; however, the dramatic changes which take place in the ultrastructural arrangement of the cyanobacterial nucleoid during heterocyst differentiation (Lang, 1965; Lang & Fay, 1971) clearly do not make the DNA inaccessible to proteins involved in RNA synthesis. Indeed, transcription probably continues from the whole genome, since preliminary measurements of RNA complexity in heterocysts and vegetative cells (data not shown) suggest that both types of cell transcribe about 70% of the total genome. Rifampicin was used as an inhibitor of RNA synthesis because it had the least effect on DNA synthesis, and no immediate effect on protein synthesis. The inhibition of nitrogenase by rifampicin was probably a direct inactivation of the enzyme, since : (1) chloramphenicol had no effect on nitrogenase; (2) the inhibition of nitrogenase activity by rifampicin was partially relieved by incubation under N,, a treatment with no effect on transcriptional inhibition; and (3) 5-fluorouracil, another RNA synthesis inhibitor, had no immediate effect on nitrogenase activity. The protection from rifampicin afforded by performing the nitrogenase assay under N would suggest that rifampicin may act to inhibit one of the heterocyst systems operating to protect nitrogenase from O2 inactivation (Haselkorn, 1978). This direct inhibition of nitrogenase, and the resulting nitrogen starvation, may explain the observations that long chains of heterocysts form in the presence of low concentrations of rifampicin in Anabaena cj.lindrica grown on agar plates (Wolk, 1975) and in a Cylindrospermum sp. following transfer from nitrogen-containing to a nitrogen-free medium (Grover & Puri, 1979). However, the effect of rifampicin may be more complex since in these latter two cases the final pattern of heterocyst formation was also altered. Even though rifampicin has a direct effect on nitrogenase, it is a suitable drug for examining the pattern of transcription during heterocyst formation. Morphologically mature heterocysts with a normal pattern can form in the absence of active nitrogenase, for example when differentiation occurs under an argon atmosphere (Wolk, 1975). In addition, rifampicin inhibition of the first 12-1 5 h of heterocyst differentiation occurs before active nitrogenase appears (Van de Water & Simon, 1982). Rifampicin was not a general cellular poison because protein synthesis continued for 3 h after the addition of the drug, treated cells remained intact for at least 24 h, and the final 3-6 h of heterocyst differentiation occurred in the presence of the Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 Transcription and hcterocyst dgfjreerentiation 795 drug. Rifampicin insensitivity was not a result of decreased permeability of late proheterocysts to the drug (e.g. due to the deposition of the heterocyst envelope around the vegetative wall) since RNA synthesis was equally inhibited in vegetative cells, proheterocysts and heterocysts. The deposition of the pore plug at the junction between the new heterocyst and an adjacent vegetative cell, an event diagnostic of heterocyst maturation, requires the presence of functional mRNA. The pore plug and the nitrogen storage polypeptide cyanophycin [multi-L-arginylpoly(aspartic acid)] appear to have a similar composition (Fogg, 1951; Lang et al., 1972). Since cyanophycin is synthesized enzymically rather than on ribosomes (Simon, 1973), the final maturation of heterocysts could represent m RN A-independent cyanophycin synthesis, However, chloramphenicol prevented pore plug formation, and thus heterocyst maturation must require continuing ribosome-dependent protein synthesis. The half-life of mRNA in C . lichcntfbrme was comparable to that measured in other cyanobacteria. In Anabaena cariabilis, the half-life of unstable RNA varied from 12 to 26 min as the doubling-time of the cells varied from 5 to 25 h (Leach & Carr, 1974). The half-life of functional mRNA capable of supporting protein synthesis varied from 25 to 50min as the generation time of Anacystis nidulans varied from 6.7 to 33 h (Smith, 1979). In cells of C. licheniforme which were doubling every 30 h, the half-life of unstable RNA was estimated to be about 29 min. mRNA half-life was thus about 1.6% of the generation time, in accordance with measurements using Anabaena variabilis (Leach & Carr, 1974) and Escherichia coli (Gray & Midgley, 1970). Because chloramphenicol halts heterocyst differentiation at all stages, and because an mRNA decaying with a 29 min half-life would have declined to 1.5:/, of its original level after the cell had been in rifampicin for 3 h, the 3-6 h rifampicin-insensitive period in heterocyst differentiation many consist of steps which depend on relatively long-lived mRNAs. We wish to thank Dr C. P. Wolk for supplying a sample of C . licheniforme. These experiments were done by S. D. V. in partial fulfilment of the Ph.D. requirements of the University of Rochester. This work was supported by grant PCM77-202322 from the National Science Foundation. S. D. V . was supported by National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship SM 176-22877 and by National Institutes of Health Graduate Traineeship in Cell Biology GM07230-05. REFERENCES ALLEN,M. B. & ARNON,D. I. (1955). Studies on nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. I. Growth and nitrogen fixation by Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. Plant Physiology 30. 336-372. FISHER,R. W. & WOLK, C. P. (1976). Substance stimulating the differentiation of spores of the bluegreen alga Cylindrospermum. Nature. Lmdon 259, 394-395. FLEMING, H. & HASELKORN, R. (1974). The program of protein synthesis during differentiation in nitrogen fixing blue-green algae. Cell 3. 159- 170. FOGG,G . E. (1951). Growth and heterocyst production in Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. 111. The cytology of heterocysts. Annals of Botanjs 15, 23-35. FRITSCH, F. E. (1 945). The Structure and Reproduction of Algae. vol. 11. Cambridge, U K : Cambridge University Press. GLASER,V. M., AL-NURI,M. A., GROSHEV, V. V . & SHESTAKOV, S. V . (1973). The labeling of nucleic acids by radioactive precursors in the blue-green algae Anacystis nidulans and Sjwechocystis aquatilis Sanv. Archit. .fir Mikrobiologie 92, 217-226. GRAY,W. J . H. & MIDGLEY, J . E. M. (1970). The control of ribonucleic acid synthesis in bacteria. Steady state content of messenger ribonucleic acid in Escherichia coli MRE 600. Biochemical Journal 120, 279-288. GROVER.1. S. & PURI, S. (1979). Alteration of heterocyst pattern in Cylindrospermum sp. by rifampicin. Indian JournalojExperimental Biology 17, 109111. HASELKORN. R. (1978). Heterocysts. Annual Rezliew of’ Plant Physiologj 29, 3 19-344. JANAKI,S. & WOLK, C. P. (1982). Synthesis of nitrogenase by isolated heterocysts. Biochimica et biophysica acta 696, 187- 192. LADHA,J . K . & KUMAR,H. D. (1975). Heterocyst division in two blue-green algae. Archives of’ Microbiology 102, 171-173. LANG,N . J . (1965). Electron microscopic study of heterocyst development in Anabaena azollae Strasburger. Journal of’ P h j d o g j . 1, 127-1 34. LANG,N. J . & FAY,P. (1971). The heterocysts of bluegreen algae. 11. Details of ultrastructure. Proceedings of the Royal Society B178, 193-203. LANG,N . J., SIMON,R. D. & WOLK,C. P. (1972). Correspondence of cyanophycin granules with structured granules in Anabaena cylindrica. Archir .fir Mikrobiologie 83. 3 13-320. LEACH,C. K . & CARR.N. G . (1974). In-vitro protein synthesis and measurement of the stability of messenger RNA in the blue-green alga, Anabaena r7ariabili.y. Journal of’ General Microbiology 81, 4758. Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11 796 S . VAN DE WATER A N D R . D . S I M O N SIMON.R. D. (1973). The effect of chloramphenicol on the production of cyanophycin granule polypeptide in the blue-green alga Anabaena cylindrica. Archit.fur Mikrobiologie 92, 1 15-1 22. SIMON,R. D. (1979). Macromolecular composition of heterocysts and spores from Anabaena variabilis. Abstracts of the III International Symposium on Photosynthetic Procaryotes, Oxford, England, p. 104. Edited by J . M. Nichols. Liverpool, U K : University of Liverpool. SIMON,R . D. (1980). DNA content of heterocysts and spores of the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena iiariabilis. F E M S Microbiology Letters 8, 241-245. SMITH,R. J. (1979). Variation in the functional half-life of mRNA in Anacystis nidulans with respect to growth rate. F E M S Microbiology LRtters 5, 9-1 1. STEWART, W. D. P., FITZGERALD, G . P. & BURRIS, R . H. (1968). Acetylene reduction by nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. Archit. jiir Mikrobiologie 62, 336348. THOMAS, J . (1972). Relationship between age of culture and occurrence of the pigments of photosystem I1 of photosynthesis in heterocysts of a blue-green alga. Journal of Bacteriology 110, 92-95. VANDE WATER,S. & SIMON,R. D. (1982). Induction and differentiation of heterocysts in the filamentous cyanobacterium Cylindrospermumlicheniforme. Journal of General Microbiology 128, 91 7-925. WILCOX,M., MITCHISON, G. J . & SMITH,R. J . (1973). Pattern formation in the blue-green alga Anabaena. 11. Controlled proheterocyst regression. Journal qf Cell Science 13, 637-649. WOLK, C. P. (1975). Differentiation and pattern formation in filamentous blue-green algae. In Spores VI, pp. 85-96. Edited by P. Gerhardt, R. N. Costilow & H. L. Sadoff, Washington, D C : American Society for Microbiology. Downloaded from www.microbiologyresearch.org by IP: 88.99.165.207 On: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:09:11
© Copyright 2025 Paperzz