Carbon metabolism shapes FtsZ levels and cell division in a cyanobacterium

Cyanobacteria, as photoautotrophs, play key ecological roles and are widely used in synthetic biology research. While metabolism profoundly influences cellular processes like cell division, the regulatory mechanisms linking these pathways remain poorly understood in cyanobacteria. Here, we engineered the model cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 by introducing an extra carboxylation module into the TCA pathway, perturbing this central metabolic pathway. This modification alters the division protein FtsZ levels, impairing cell division under varying light conditions. We found that 2-oxoglutarate, which is known as a metabolic signal, regulates ftsZ expression via the transcription factor NtcA. Furthermore, metabolic status modulates cell division in an NtcA-dependent manner, revealing a direct integration of metabolic control and cell division. Our findings uncover a coordination mechanism between metabolism and cell division in cyanobacteria, providing mechanistic insights for synthetic biology engineering and the understanding of metabolic regulation.