Effect of sulfur starvation on the morphology and ultrastructure of the cyanobacterium gloeothece sp. PCC 6909

Gloeothece sp. PCC 6909 is a unicellular, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that accumulates sulfate in its sheath. An ultrastructural study of sulfate- deficient and normal Gloeothece sp. PCC 6909 cells was carried out. The physiological alterations, caused by sulfur starvation, were related to important morphological alterations in the cell: a structureless sheath, accumulation of cyanophycin, polyhydroxybutyrate and glycogen granules, and disintegration of thylakoidal membranes. Most of these changes were reversed by the addition of sulfate to the culture medium. The important role of sulfate in the sheath structure was demonstrated.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ariño, Xavier, Ortega Calvo, J. J., Hernández Mariné, M., Sáiz-Jiménez, Cesáreo
Format: artículo biblioteca
Language:English
Published: Springer 1995
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/64733
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Summary:Gloeothece sp. PCC 6909 is a unicellular, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that accumulates sulfate in its sheath. An ultrastructural study of sulfate- deficient and normal Gloeothece sp. PCC 6909 cells was carried out. The physiological alterations, caused by sulfur starvation, were related to important morphological alterations in the cell: a structureless sheath, accumulation of cyanophycin, polyhydroxybutyrate and glycogen granules, and disintegration of thylakoidal membranes. Most of these changes were reversed by the addition of sulfate to the culture medium. The important role of sulfate in the sheath structure was demonstrated.