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Heterocysts or heterocytes are specialized nitrogen-fixing cells formed during nitrogen starvation by some filamentous cyanobacteria, such as Nostoc, Cylindrospermum, and Anabaena. [1] They fix nitrogen from dinitrogen (N 2) in the air using the enzyme nitrogenase, in order to provide the cells in the filament with nitrogen for biosynthesis. [2]
To sense the light across this range of wavelengths, cyanobacteria possess various photoreceptors of the phytochrome superfamily. [ 30 ] [ 8 ] Morphological plasticity , or the ability of one cell to alternate between different shapes, is a common strategy of many bacteria in response to environmental changes or as part of their normal life cycle.
Cyanobacteria may possess the ability to produce substances that could one day serve as anti-inflammatory agents and combat bacterial infections in humans. [258] Cyanobacteria's photosynthetic output of sugar and oxygen has been demonstrated to have therapeutic value in rats with heart attacks. [ 259 ]
Nostoc, also known as star jelly, troll's butter, spit of moon, fallen star, witch's butter (not to be confused with the fungi commonly known as witches' butter), and witch's jelly, is the most common genus of cyanobacteria found in a variety of both aquatic and terrestrial environments that may form colonies composed of filaments of moniliform cells in a gelatinous sheath of polysaccharides. [1]
Aphanizomenon are a special type of cyanobacteria called heterocysts, which are capable of producing biologically useful nitrogen by the process of nitrogen fixation from atmospheric nitrogen. A large proportion (between 35 and 50%) of fixed nitrogen may be released into the surrounding water, providing an important source of biologically ...
In order for a cyanobacterium to successfully form a symbiotic relationship, it must be able to exchange signals with the host, overcome defense mounted by the host, be capable of hormogonia formation, chemotaxis, heterocyst formation, as well as possess adequate resilience to reside in host tissue which may present extreme conditions, such as ...
Intercalary located akinete of Dolichospermum smithii Terminally located akinete of Gloeotrichia. An akinete is an enveloped, thick-walled, non-motile, dormant cell formed by filamentous, heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria under the order Nostocales and Stigonematales.
Some species of filamentous cyanobacteria have been known to form heterocysts to escape levels of oxygen concentration detrimental to their nitrogen fixing processes. This process is distinct from other types of microbial cysts in that the heterocysts are often produced in a repeating pattern within a filament composed of several vegetative ...