Additionally, the authors sequenced the genome of this organism and identified homologs to genes conserved among filamentous cyanobacteria that have been demonstrated to be essential for motility in Nostoc punctiforme and may encode for the junctional pore proteins (hps locus) or a chemotaxis system (hmp locus).
(c) When the cells form spirals, there are two components to this process: the formation of spirals and their macroscopic sense of rotation: clock- or counterclockwise. In the discussion it is assumed that the rotation of the filaments is crucial for both of these components. If this would be true, then no spirals should be observed in non-rotating filamentous gliding cyanobacteria. However, this is not the case. Anabaena spec. a non-rotating species can generate spirals (see Figure X; Mucilage secretion and the movements of blue-green-algae. Protoplasm 1968, 65, 223–238). This means that the sense of rotation may only be responsible for the direction of the spiral but not for its emergence in the first place. It would be good if the authors would distinguish between these two phenomena and discuss them accordingly.