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Compartmentalization of metals for photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation in specialized cells of the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC7120
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DOI：10.1038/s42003-026-10738-3.png)
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Abstract
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Nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria, such as Anabaena sp. PCC7120, are some of the oldest multicellular organisms. When combined nitrogen sources are scarce, this cyanobacterium compartmentalizes photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation in vegetative cells and in differentiated heterocysts, respectively. Both types of cells contain specialized metabolic processes and machinery that require different essential metal ions as cofactors for specific enzymes. We here use single-cell synchrotron-based nano-X-ray fluorescence imaging to visualize, localize and quantify the metal content in vegetative cells and heterocysts of Anabaena filaments. Our data show an increase of metals, especially iron (Fe), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), in nitrogen deficient conditions and a difference in concentration between vegetative cells and heterocysts, suggesting a controlled uptake at the inner membrane level. These findings represent a significant advance in understanding metal homeostasis at the single-cell level in cyanobacteria, providing visualization of the spatial organization of essential trace elements in both types of Anabaena cells and within the continuous periplasm of filaments. It demonstrates the role of metal homeostasis and compartmentation to fulfill photosynthetic aerobic and nitrogen-fixing microaerobic metabolisms in specialized cells. Single-cell mapping of trace metals reveals metal compartmentation in Anabaena, uncovering enhanced Fe, Ni, and Cu accumulation under nitrogen deficiency and distinct metal distributions between vegetative cells and heterocysts that sustain diazotrophic metabolism.
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