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A cyanobacterium which lacks thylakoids

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Abstract

Gloebacter violaceus gen. and sp. n. is a unicellular photosynthetic prokaryote of unusual cellular structure. The only unit membrane in the small, rod-shaped cells is the cytoplasmic membrane, which has a simple contour, without intrusions. Immediately underlying it is an electron-dense layer 80 nm thick. Gloeobacter is an aerobic photoautotroph which contains chlorophyll α, β-carotene and other carotenoids, allophycocyanin, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin. Chlorophyll and carotenoids are associated with the particulate fraction of cell-free extracts, and are thus probably localized in the cytoplasmic membrane. The phycobiliproteins may be associated with the electron-dense 80 nm layer. The DNA contains 64.4 moles percent GC. The cellular lipids have a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, largely linoleate and γ-linolenate. Despite its atypical fine structure, Gloeobacter is evidently a cyanobacterium, sufficiently different from other unicellular cyanobacteria to be placed in a new genus.

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Abbreviations

DNA:

deoxyribonucleic acid

GC:

guanine + cytosine

DCMU:

3-(3,4 dichlorophenyl)-1,1 dimethyl urea

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Physiologie Microbienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris

    R. Rippka, J. Waterbury & G. Cohen-Bazire

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  1. R. Rippka
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  2. J. Waterbury
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  3. G. Cohen-Bazire
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Rippka, R., Waterbury, J. & Cohen-Bazire, G. A cyanobacterium which lacks thylakoids. Arch. Microbiol. 100, 419–436 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00446333

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00446333

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