Acclimation response and ability of growth and photosynthesis of terrestrial cyanobacterium Cylindrospermum sp. strain FS 64 under combined environmental factors.

This investigation tested the hypothesis that the native cyanobacteria can acclimatize and grow under the combination of environmental factors and/or how does their process change with the age of culture? Here, we tried to combine multiple factors to simulated what happens in natural ecosystems. We analyzed the physiological response of terrestrial cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermum sp. FS 64 under combination effect of different salinity (17, 80, and 160 mM) and alkaline pHs (9 and 11) at extremely limited carbon dioxide concentration (no aeration) up to 96 h. Our evidence showed that growth, biomass, photosystem II, and phycobilisome activity significantly increased under 80 mM salinity and pH 11. In addition, this combined condition led to a significant increase in maximum light-saturated photosynthesis activity and photosynthetic efficiency. While phycobilisomes and photosystem activity decreased by increasing salinity (160 mM) which caused decreased growth rates after 96 h. The single-cell study (CLMS microscopy) which illustrated the physiological state of the individual and active-cell confirmed the efficiency and effectiveness of both photosystems and phycobilisome under the combined effect of 80 mM salinity and pH 11.

Growth and photosynthesis acclimated response of the cyanobacterium Fischerella sp. FS 18 exposed to extreme conditions: alkaline pH, limited irradiance, and carbon dioxide concentration.

The true-branching heterocystous cyanobacterium Fischerella sp. FS 18 is widely distributed in paddy fields (North) and petroleum polluted soils (South) in Iran. This investigation tested the hypothesis that the cyanobacterium can acclimatize under the combined effect of extreme environmental conditions. Here, we analysed the physiological response of the cyanobacterium under extremely limited irradiance (2 µmol photon m-2 s-1); limited carbon dioxide concentration (no aeration) at alkaline pHs (9 and 11) for up to 96 h. When the cyanobacterium was exposed to these extreme conditions at pH 11, we observed a decline in growth, oxygen liberation, photosystems ratio, chlorophyll a, and phycobilisomes activity compared to pH 9 after 24 h. Besides, we registered a significant decrease in maximum photochemical efficiency and activity of photosystem II at pH 11. The comparative single-cell study revealed that pH 9 caused higher efficiency of photosystem II and I, while increasing alkalinity pH 11 led to disturbed phycobilisomes activity after 24 h. This strain was able to recover its structures after 96 h. In addition, spectroscopy analyses revealed the presence of the Mycosporine-like amino acid at pH 9.

Biotransformation of hydrocortisone by a natural isolate of Nostoc muscorum.

Hydrocortisone was converted in the culture of an isolated strain of the cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum PTCC 1636 into some androstane and pregnane derivatives. The microorganism was, isolated during a screening program from soil samples collected from paddy fields of north of Iran. The bioproducts obtained were purified using chromatographic methods and identified as 11beta-hydroxytestosterone, 11beta-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3,17-dione and 11beta,17alpha,20beta,21-tetrahydroxypregn-4-en-3-one on the basis of their spectroscopic features.