Photosynthetica 2000, 38(2):233-241 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1007274000087

Morphological and Physiological Differences in Synechococcus elongatus during Continuous Cultivation at High Iron, Low Iron, and Iron Deficient Medium

J. Benešová1, K. Ničková1, N. Ferimazova1,2, D. Štys1,2
1 Faculty of Biological Sciences, Laboratory of Biomembranes, University of South Bohemia, Budějovice, Czech Republic
2 Department of Autotrophic Microorganisms, Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Opatovický mlýn, Třeboň, Czech Republic

Thermophilic unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus Näg. var. thermalis Geitl. strain Kovrov 1972/8 was cultivated in continuous flow reactor to simulate conditions occurring in nature in regions with low iron concentration. Two degrees of iron deprivation were established: (a) low iron (LI) conditions (9.0 µM Fe) when cells still maintained maximal growth rate but already exhibited changes in photosynthetic apparatus, and (b) iron deficient (ID) conditions (0.9 µM Fe) when cell growth rate decreased and extensive morphological and functional changes were observed. A decrease in the cellular content of phycobilin antenna was observed in both ID and LI cells and an increase of carotenoid concentration only in the ID culture. Morphologically, ID cells showed a decrease in the amount of phycobilins and in the number of thylakoid membranes. This suggests that S. elongatus responds to decrease in iron availability by substitution of the phycobilisomes by antennae containing chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids. Photochemical activity of photosystem (PS) 2, determined as Fv/Fm ratio was similar in high iron (HI) and LI cultures and approximately five times lower in ID culture. On the other hand, the activity of the whole electron transport chain showed the opposite tendency: the relative rates of the CO2-dependent oxygen evolution in HI : LI : ID cultures were approximately 1 : 2 : 4. Thus in nutrient stress the photosynthetic apparatus preserved its activity despite the decrease in the amount of both Chl-binding complexes and thylakoid membranes.

Prepublished online: November 1, 2000; Published: August 1, 2000  Show citation

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Benešová, J., Ničková, K., Ferimazova, N., & Štys, D. (2000). Morphological and Physiological Differences in Synechococcus elongatus during Continuous Cultivation at High Iron, Low Iron, and Iron Deficient Medium. Photosynthetica, 38(2), 233-241. doi: 10.1023/A:1007274000087
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