Abstract
The capacity for nitrogen fixation in microorganisms is controlled by the intracellular level of nitrogenase and by the supply of reductant and ATP necessary for the operation of the nitrogenase system.1,2 Combined nitrogen invariably represses the formation of nitrogenase and inactivation of the nitrogenase complex by oxygen is also commonly observed.1,2 Because of its simplicity, inexpensiveness and high sensitivity, the acetylene reduction technique has been widely used to investigate the mechanism of biological nitrogen fixation. However, certain features of nitrogen fixation are not always identical to those of acetylene reduction3. In this communication, we describe data obtained in our laboratory concerning nitrogen fixation and acetylene reduction in a blue-green alga Anabaena cylindrica with emphasis on the effects of ammonium and oxygen. A marked difference between nitrogen fixation and acetylene reduction appears with respect to the sensitivity to oxygen. Experimental details are presented elsewhere.
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