Nature Communications (Apr 2020)

The circadian clock and darkness control natural competence in cyanobacteria

  • Arnaud Taton,
  • Christian Erikson,
  • Yiling Yang,
  • Benjamin E. Rubin,
  • Scott A. Rifkin,
  • James W. Golden,
  • Susan S. Golden

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15384-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

Read online

The cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus is a model organism for the study of circadian rhythms, and is naturally competent for transformation. Here, Taton et al. identify genes required for natural transformation in this organism, and show that the coincidence of circadian dusk and darkness regulates the competence state in different day lengths.