Abstract
Cyanobacteria are an ancient, diverse, and ecologically important group of oxygenic-photosynthetic eubacteria related phylogenetically to plant chloroplasts (Rippka et al. 1979; Wilmotte 1994). Some members of unicellular genera such as Synechococcus and Synechocystis have physiological mechanisms for DNA uptake and are readily transformed genetically (Porter 1986; Shestakov and Reaston, 1987). DNA can be introduced into additional strains, including filamentous forms capable of nitrogen-fixation and heterocyst differentiation, by conjugal transfer from Escherichia coli mediated by broad host-range conjugative plasmids (Elhai and Wolk, 1988). Many other cyanobacteria with interesting properties appear incapable of biological DNA uptake. For these, electroporation offers an approach that has widely allowed the transformation of diverse bacteria (Halloway 1993). Even where other methods are possible, electroporation may be advantageous because of simplicity or efficiency. Electrotransformation of cyanobacteria was first demonstrated by Thiel and Poo (1989) and has since been applied to several strains (Chiang et al. 1992; Moser et al. 1993; Mühlenhoff and Chauvat 1996; Chapter 29). Electroporation in addition provides an efficient method for extracting macromolecules from cells.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen M (1968) Simple conditions for growth of unicellular blue-green algae on plates. J Phycol 4: 1–4
Chiang G, Schaefer M, Grossman A (1992) Transformation of the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon by Conjugation or Electroporation. Plant Physiol Biochem 30: 315–325
Elhai J, Wolk C (1988) Conjugal transfer of DNA to cyanobacteria. Methods Enzymol 167: 747–754
Fitzgerald N, English R, Lampel J, TJ VB (1998) Sonication-dependent electroporation of the erythromycin-producing bacterium Saccharopolyspora erythraea. Appl Environ Microbiol 64: 1580–1583
Halloway B (1993) Genetics for all bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol 47: 659–684
Kahn K, Mazel D, Houmard J, Tandeau de Marsac N, Schaefer M (1997) A role for cpeYZ in cyanobacterial phycoerythrin biosynthesis. J Bacteriol 179: 998–1006
Moser D, Zarka D, Hedman C, Kallas T (1995) Plasmid and chromosomal DNA recovery by electroextraction of cyanobacteria. FEMS Microbiol Lett 128: 307–313
Moser D, Zarka D, Kallas T (1993) Characterization of a Restriction Barrier and Electrotransformation of the Cyanobacterium Nostoc PCC-7121. Arch Microbiol 160: 229–237
Mühlenhoff U, Chauvat F (1996) Gene transfer and manipulation in the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus. Mol Gen Genet 252: 93–100
Plude J, Parker D, Schommer O, Timmerman R, Hagstrom S, Joers J, Hnasko R (1991) Chemical characterization of polysaccharide from the slime layer of the cyanobacterium Microcystis flos-aquae C3–40. Appl Environ Microbiol 57: 1696–1700
Porter R (1986) Transformation in cyanobacteria CRC Crit Revs Microbiol, vol 13, pp 111–132
Rippka R, Deruelles J, Waterbury J, Herdman M, Stanier R (1979) Generic assignments, strain histories and properties of pure cultures of cyanobacteria. J Gen Microbiol 111: 1–61
Sambrook J, Fritsch E, Maniatis T (1989) Molecular clonining: a laboratory manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.
Shestakov S, Reaston J (1987) Gene transfer and host-vector systems of cy-anobacteria. Oxford Surveys of Plant Molecular and Cell Biology 4: 137–166
Shimogawara K, Fujiwara S, Grossman A, Usuda H (1998) High-efficiency transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by electroporation. Genetics 148: 1821–1828
Sidler W (1994) Phycobilisome and phycobiliprotein structures. In: Bryant D (ed) The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 139–216
Swanson R, Zhou J, Leary J, Williams T, de Lorimier R, Bryant D, Glazer A (1992) Characterization of phycocyanin produced by cpcE and cpcF mutants and identification of an intergenic suppressor of the defect in bilin attachment. J Biol Chem 267: 16146–16154
Thiel T (1994) Genetic analysis of cyanobacteria. In: Bryant D (ed) The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 581–611
Thiel T, Poo H (1989) Transformation of a filamentous cyanobacterium by electroporation. J Bacteriol 171: 5743–5746
Wilmotte A (1994) Molecular evolution and taxonomy of the cyanobacteria. In: Bryant D (ed) The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 1–25
Wolk C, Cai Y, Cardemil L, Flores E, Hohn B, Murry M, Schmetterer G, Schrautemeier B, Wilson R (1988) Isolation and complementation of mutants of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 unable to grow aerobically on dinitrogen. J Bacteriol 170: 1239–1244
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kallas, T. (2000). Cyanobacteria: Electrotransformation and Electroextraction. In: Eynard, N., Teissié, J. (eds) Electrotransformation of Bacteria. Springer Lab Manuals. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04305-9_32
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04305-9_32
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08593-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04305-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive