J 1999

A comparative study of fine structure cyanobacterial gas vesicles.

ŠMAJS, David, Jan ŠMARDA and Vladimír KRZYŽANEK

Basic information

Original name

A comparative study of fine structure cyanobacterial gas vesicles.

Authors

ŠMAJS, David, Jan ŠMARDA and Vladimír KRZYŽANEK

Edition

Algological Studies, 1999

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

10600 1.6 Biological sciences

Country of publisher

Germany

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Organization unit

Faculty of Medicine
Změněno: 24/1/2003 12:35, prof. MUDr. David Šmajs, Ph.D.

Abstract

V originále

After freeze-fracturing/etching of specimens and unidirectional or rotational metal-shadowing of their fracture plane replicas, electron micrographs of gas vesicles of 11 strains (8 planktic species) of Cyanobacteria were taken. Micrographs were subsequently digitized and the periodicity of gas vesicle membrane striation was analyzed using FOURIER transform. In parallel with it, number of transversely fractured gas vesicles on 0.1 ľm2 of cross-fracture plane was counted. Different striation (rib) periodicity of gas vesicle membranes of different species (and of different strains of the same species) was established, ranging from 3.9 to 4.4 nm. Striation periodicity of gas vesicle membrane (though limited in range) appears independent of the number of gas vesicles per 0.1 ľm2 of cross-fracture plane and both parameters can be used for a closer characterization of gas vesicles. These results imply that the structure of gas vesicle membrane is neither species nor genus or family specific and that different cyanobacterial cells operate with different alleles of the genes for the gas-vesicle proteins.