Cyanobacteria Use Repurposed DNA System to Shape Their Cells
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Researchers have discovered that a common cyanobacterium uses a repurposed DNA segregation system to maintain its shape. The system, now renamed CorMR, forms a dynamic protein cortex beneath the cell membrane. When the system is removed, the cells lose their rectangular shape, revealing its crucial structural role.
Facts First
- A repurposed DNA system maintains cell shape in the cyanobacterium Anabaena.
- The ParR component binds to the inner membrane, not DNA, while ParM forms a dynamic filament network beneath it.
- Removing the system causes cells to become round and swollen, confirming its structural function.
- Researchers renamed the system 'CorMR' to reflect its new role in forming a cell cortex.
- Bioinformatic analysis suggests the system evolved from a plasmid-based DNA segregation mechanism.
What Happened
An international research team discovered that the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 uses a repurposed DNA segregation system to maintain its cell shape. The system, traditionally known as ParMR and typically found on plasmids for DNA movement, was found to have a different function in this organism. Experiments showed the ParR component binds to the inner lipid membrane, and the ParM component forms a dynamic network of filaments beneath it, resembling a cell cortex. When researchers removed this system, the cells lost their rectangular-like shape and became round and swollen. The team has renamed the repurposed system 'CorMR'.
Why this Matters to You
This discovery advances fundamental biological knowledge about how cells maintain their shape, a process crucial for their function and survival. Understanding these basic mechanisms in ancient organisms like cyanobacteria could inform future biotechnology, potentially leading to new ways to engineer cell shapes for industrial or medical applications. The research also demonstrates how evolution can repurpose existing molecular machinery for entirely new functions.
What's Next
The researchers' bioinformatic analysis indicates the CorMR system likely evolved from a plasmid-based DNA segregation mechanism. Further study may reveal how widespread this repurposed system is among other cyanobacteria and related organisms. The discovery opens new avenues for investigating the structural biology of bacterial cells and how protein networks interact with membranes to dictate morphology.