Awakening of a Dormant Cyanobacterium from Nitrogen Chlorosis Reveals a Genetically Determined Program

The molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in the transition of microbial cells from a resting state to the active vegetative state are critically relevant for solving problems in fields ranging from microbial ecology to infection microbiology. Cyanobacteria that cannot fix nitrogen are able to survive prolonged periods of nitrogen starvation as chlorotic cells in a dormant state. When provided with a usable nitrogen source, these cells re-green within 48 hr and return to vegetative growth. Here we investigated the resuscitation of chlorotic Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells at the physiological and molecular levels with the aim of understanding the awakening process of a dormant bacterium. Almost immediately upon nitrate addition, the cells initiated a highly organized resuscitation program. In the first phase, they suppressed any residual photosynthetic activity and activated respiration to gain energy from glycogen catabolism. Concomitantly, they restored the entire translational apparatus, ATP synthesis, and nitrate assimilation. After only 12-16 hr, the cells re-activated the synthesis of the photosynthetic apparatus and prepared for metabolic re-wiring toward photosynthesis. When the cells reached full photosynthetic capacity after 48 hr, they resumed cell division and entered the vegetative cell cycle. An analysis of the transcriptional dynamics during the resuscitation process revealed a perfect match to the observed physiological processes, and it suggested that non-coding RNAs play a major regulatory role during the lifestyle switch in awakening cells. This genetically encoded program ensures rapid colonization of habitats in which nitrogen starvation imposes a recurring growth limitation.