MreB is important for cell shape but not for chromosome segregation of the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120
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Summary: MreB is a bacterial actin that plays important roles in determination of cell shape and chromosome partitioning in Escherichia coli and Caulobacter crescentus. In this study, the mreB from the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 was inactivated. Although the mreB null mutant showed a drastic change in cell shape, its growth rate, cell division and the filament length were unaltered. Thus, MreB in Anabaena maintains cell shape but is not required for chromosome partitioning. The wild type and the mutant had eight and 10 copies of chromosomes per cell respectively. We demonstrated that DNA content in two daughter cells after cell division in both strains was not always identical. The ratios of DNA content in two daughter cells had a Gaussian distribution with a standard deviation much larger than a value expected if the DNA content in two daughter cells were identical, suggesting that chromosome partitioning is a random process. The multiple copies of chromosomes in cyanobacteria are likely required for chromosome random partitioning in cell division.
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Polyploidy delays complete chromosomal segregation of engineered constructs.
“polyploidy delays complete chromosomal segregation of engineered constructs”
From Cyanobacteria as a Photosynthetic Chassis for Metabolic Pathway Engineering with Heterologous Gene Expression (2026) · cites this paper as [31]
The chromosome-copy-number results report multiple chromosomes per Anabaena cell, and the Inactivation of mreB section confirms complete segregation of an engineered mutant. Neither passage says that polyploidy delayed that segregation or measures how long it took. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe polyploid genomic configuration of cyanobacteria complicates genetic manipulation and often delays the segregation of engineered mutations or inserted genetic constructs after genome editing.
“This genomic configuration complicates genetic manipulation and often delays the segregation of engineered mutations or inserted genetic constructs after genome editing.”
From Cyanobacteria as a Photosynthetic Chassis for Metabolic Pathway Engineering with Heterologous Gene Expression (2026) · cites this paper as [31]
The Discussion (page unavailable) states that cyanobacterial cells have many chromosome copies. Gene inactivation and complementation (page unavailable) describes an engineered mreB mutant whose segregation was confirmed, but the paper does not say that multiple copies complicate genetic manipulation or often delay segregation of mutations or inserted constructs. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAnabaena sp. PCC 7120 has approximately eight chromosome copies per wild-type cell, and its complete genome comprises a 6,413,771 bp chromosome together with six plasmids.
“the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 has been reported to contain approximately eight chromosome copies per wild-type cell, and its complete genome comprises a 6,413,771 bp chromosome together with six plasmids [31].”
From Cyanobacteria as a Photosynthetic Chassis for Metabolic Pathway Engineering with Heterologous Gene Expression (2026) · cites this paper as [31]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMany cyanobacterial species have polyploid genomes, meaning that multiple copies of the chromosome are present within a single cell.
“many cyanobacterial species have polyploid genomes, meaning that multiple copies of the chromosome are present within a single cell.”
From Cyanobacteria as a Photosynthetic Chassis for Metabolic Pathway Engineering with Heterologous Gene Expression (2026) · cites this paper as [31]
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“For example, the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 has been reported to contain approximately eight chromosome copies per wild-type cell, and its complete genome comprises a 6,413,771 bp chromosome together with six plasmids [31].”
- Authors
- Hu, B., Yang, G., Zhao, W., Zhang, Y., & Zhao, J.
- Affiliations
- Peking University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Zhao, Jindong
- Venue
- Molecular Microbiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-01-22
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1640-1652
- ISSN
- 0950-382X (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2958
- OpenAlex
- W2111871013
- Cited by
- 116
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 8 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 5.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Molecular Microbiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (30230040)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Keywords
- MreB, bacterial actin, cell shape, chromosome segregation, Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, cyanobacteria, DNA content, filament length, cell division, chromosome copy number
- MeSH terms
- Bacterial Proteins, Chromosomes, Bacterial, DNA-Binding Proteins, Anabaena, Chromosome Segregation, Escherichia coli Proteins
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