NanoBio: Synechocystis

=Synechocystsis Primer=

Introduction to Cyanobacteria

 * Cyanobacteria generate oxygen gas through oxygenic photosynthesis. Unlike purple sulfur bacteria or purple non-sulfur bacteria, cyanobacteria use chlorophyll a to gather light.
 * Cyanobacteria live close to the surface of ponds, and have two major absorption bands between 550-620 due to phycobiliproteins.

Synechocystis sp 6803 Genetics

 * Synechocystis carries multiple (6-12) copies of the genome in a single cell.
 * Synechocystis has about 3,260 genes that code for proteins.
 * Synechocystis is naturally transformable, i.e. it will uptake foreign DNA and incorporate this DNA into its genome by homologous recombination.

Synechocystis sp 6803 Growth

 * The doubling time of Synechocystis is 12 hours (versus 20 minutes for E. coli), and it takes 7-10 days to get visible colonies of transformants on a plate.
 * Liquid media: BG-11 media, Sigma catalog #, 500 mL of 50x ~$30
 * Light intensity: 50-70 umol photons m2/s
 * Temperature: 30-34 ºC
 * pH: 8-10

Synechocystis sp 6803 Metabolism

 * CO2 is assilimated through the Calvin cycle.
 * Not fully functional citric acid cycle.
 * Pentose phosphate is central pathway of carbohydrate metabolism.
 * Gram negative (double membrane).
 * Heterocysts form to fix nitrogen when NO3 and NH3 are absent.

Synechocystis sp 6803 Physiology

 * Synechocystis is typically a slightly oblong spheriod, approximately 1.5 microns in diameter.