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An overview of the genome of Nostoc punctiforme, a multicellular, symbiotic cyanobacterium

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Abstract

Nostoc punctiforme is a filamentous cyanobacterium with extensive phenotypic characteristics and a relatively large genome, approaching 10 Mb. The phenotypic characteristics include a photoautotrophic, diazotrophic mode of growth, but N. punctiforme is also facultatively heterotrophic; its vegetative cells have multiple developmental alternatives, including terminal differentiation into nitrogen-fixing heterocysts and transient differentiation into spore-like akinetes or motile filaments called hormogonia; and N. punctiforme has broad symbiotic competence with fungi and terrestrial plants, including bryophytes, gymnosperms and an angiosperm. The shotgun-sequencing phase of the N. punctiforme strain ATCC 29133 genome has been completed by the Joint Genome Institute. Annotation of an 8.9 Mb database yielded 7432 open reading frames, 45% of which encode proteins with known or probable known function and 29% of which are unique to N. punctiforme. Comparative analysis of the sequence indicates a genome that is highly plastic and in a state of flux, with numerous insertion sequences and multilocus repeats, as well as genes encoding transposases and DNA modification enzymes. The sequence also reveals the presence of genes encoding putative proteins that collectively define almost all characteristics of cyanobacteria as a group. N. punctiforme has an extensive potential to sense and respond to environmental signals as reflected by the presence of more than 400 genes encoding sensor protein kinases, response regulators and other transcriptional factors. The signal transduction systems and any of the large number of unique genes may play essential roles in the cell differentiation and symbiotic interaction properties of N. punctiforme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Microbiology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    John C. Meeks

  2. Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA

    Jeff Elhai

  3. Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA

    Teresa Thiel

  4. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Malcolm Potts

  5. Computational Biology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA

    Frank Larimer

  6. Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, USA

    Jane Lamerdin

  7. DOE Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA

    Paul Predki

  8. Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA

    Ronald Atlas

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Meeks, J.C., Elhai, J., Thiel, T. et al. An overview of the genome of Nostoc punctiforme, a multicellular, symbiotic cyanobacterium. Photosynthesis Research 70, 85–106 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013840025518

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