Biology Of Cyanobacteria Research Articles

Simple transformation of the filamentous thermophilic cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. KC45

Leptolyngbya sp. KC45 is a cyanobacterium isolated from a hot spring in the southern region of Thailand. This thermophilic and alkaliphilic strain can be cultured in an open pond without contamination under high pH growth condition. Additionally, its large trichome size makes it convenient for harvesting. Thus, Leptolyngbya sp. KC45 is a promising filamentous thermophilic cyanobacteria for the production of heterologous proteins. To establish the transformation protocol for this strain, we evaluated the antibiotic susceptibility and found that pGreen plasmid can transform this strain. 20 μg/mL ampicillin was used for screening of the transformant. Transformation of Leptolyngbya KC45 was achieved through simple electroporation. The significant expression of a gene introduced under the control of a heterologous promoter, Plac, indicated the functionality of this promoter even in cyanobacteria. This simple transformation protocol could be used for future genetic studies and application of synthetic biology in cyanobacteria.

Systems Biology of Cyanobacteria for Investigating Light Adaptive Mechanisms

Systems Biology of Cyanobacteria for Investigating Light Adaptive Mechanisms

Terminal Proterozoic cyanobacterial blooms and phosphogenesis documented by the Doushantuo granular phosphorites II: Microbial diversity and C isotopes

An unprecedented period of phosphogenesis, along with massive deposition of black shales, major perturbations in the global carbon cycle and the rise of atmospheric oxygen, occurred in the terminal Proterozoic in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation. Although causal links between these processes have been postulated, evidence remains challenging. Correlated in situ micro-analyses of granular phosphorites from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in Yichang, South China, suggested that cyanobacteria and associated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) might have promoted aggregated granule growth and subsequent phosphatization (She et al., 2013). Here, we present new paleontological data for the Doushantuo phosphorites from Yichang, which, combined with Raman microspectroscopy and carbon isotope data, further document links between the biology of cyanobacteria and phosphogenesis. Mapping of microfossils in thin section shows that most phosphatic granules contain microfossils that are dominated by colonies of Myxococcoides, along with several filamentous genera generally considered to represent cyanobacterial sheaths. In addition, the phosphorites and associated rocks have δ13Corg values in the range of −26.0 to −29.7‰ VPDB, consistent with photoautotrophic carbon fixation with the Rubisco enzyme. Close association of phosphorites with the Marinoan tillites in stratigraphic level supports a genetic link between deglaciation and phosphogenesis, at least for the Doushantuo occurrence. Our new data suggest that major cyanobacterial blooms probably took place in the terminal Proterozoic, which might have resulted in rapid scavenging of bioavailable phosphorus and massive accumulations of organic matter (OM). Within a redox-stratified intra-shelf basin, the OM-bound phosphorus could have liberated by microbial sulfate reduction and other anaerobic metabolisms and subsequently concentrated by Fe-redox pumping below the chemocline. Upwelling of the bottom waters or upward fluctuation of the chemocline might have brought P-enriched waters to the photic zone, where it was again scavenged by cyanobacteria through their EPS to be subsequently precipitated as francolite. The feedbacks between enhanced continental weathering, cyanobacterial blooms, carbon burial, and accelerated phosphorus cycle thus controlled the marine biogeochemical changes, which led to further oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans, ultimately paving the way for the rise of metazoans.

Application of synthetic biology in cyanobacteria and algae

Cyanobacteria and algae are becoming increasingly attractive cell factories for producing renewable biofuels and chemicals due to their ability to capture solar energy and CO2 and their relatively simple genetic background for genetic manipulation. Increasing research efforts from the synthetic biology approach have been made in recent years to modify cyanobacteria and algae for various biotechnological applications. In this article, we critically review recent progresses in developing genetic tools for characterizing or manipulating cyanobacteria and algae, the applications of genetically modified strains for synthesizing renewable products such as biofuels and chemicals. In addition, the emergent challenges in the development and application of synthetic biology for cyanobacteria and algae are also discussed.

Signalling through cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacteria

SummaryThe cyanobacteria are a diverse group of photosynthetic prokaryotes, of which many species synthesize cyclic nucleotide monophosphates. The role of cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacterial biology has been studied through phenotypic, molecular, genetic, and computer‐based analyses and here I review the history of the field. The study of cyclic nucleotide monophosphates in cyanobacteria has been informed by experiments performed in unrelated organisms but recent investigations have, however, demonstrated that scientific principles, applicable to a wide range of species, can be derived from the study of cyclic nucleotide biology in cyanobacteria and I detail some of this work. Contents Summary 23 I. Introduction 23 II. Cyclic nucleotide monophosphates 24 III. cNMPs and their roles in cyanobacteria 26 IV. Molecular identification of components of the cNMP signalling pathway in cyanobacteria 27 V. Lessons from cAMP signalling in cyanobacteria for other organisms 30 Acknowledgements 31

The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Donald A. Bryant (ed)

The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Donald A. Bryant (ed)

The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Edited by Donald A. Bryant.

The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Edited by Donald A. Bryant.

End of blue-green algae

The Biology of Cyanobacteria. Edited by N.G. Carr and B.A. Whitton. Blackwell Scientific/University of California Press: 1982. Pp.688. £42, $75.