Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Extraction of Cofactor F420 for Analysis of Polyglutamate Tail Length from Methanogenic Pure Cultures and Environmental Samples
Published on: October 14, 2021
FurA influences heterocyst differentiation in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120
Andrés González1, Ana Valladares, M Luisa Peleato
1Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
Abstract:
In Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, FurA is a global transcriptional regulator whose expression is strongly induced by NtcA in proheterocysts and remains stably expressed in mature heterocysts. In the present study, overexpression of furA partially suppressed heterocyst differentiation by impairing morphogenesis at an early stage. Recombinant purified FurA specifically bound in vitro to the promoter regions of ntcA, while quantitative RT-PCR analyses indicated that furA overexpression strongly affected the transient increase of ntcA expression that occurs shortly after nitrogen step-down. Overall, the results suggest a connection between iron homeostasis and heterocyst differentiation via FurA, by modulating the expression of ntcA.

