Skip to main content
Log in

Induction of a circadian rhythm in Synechococcus RF-1 while the cells are in a “suspended state”

  • Rapid Communication
  • Published:
Planta Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The cells of the blue-green alga Synechococcus RF-1 stop multiplying and their physiological condition is maintained in a “suspended state” when a continuous-light-grown culture is incubated under continuous darkness. The nitrogenase activity of Synechococcus RF-1 could not be detected while the cells were in the “suspended state”. The circadian nitrogenase activity rhythm could, however, be induced in a 28° C culture by a raised (12 h 28° C/12h 35° C) or a lowered (12 h 28° C/12h 20° C) temperature regimen while the culture was in the “suspended state”. The results indicate that cell division and/or cell growth is not essential for induction of the circadian rhythm in Synechococcus RF-1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DD:

continuous darkness

LL:

continuous light

NA:

nitrogenase activity

References

  • Dilworth, M.J. (1966) Acetylene reduction by nitrogen-fixing preparations from Clostridium pasteurianum. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 127, 285–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds, L.N., ed (1988) Cellular and molecular basis of biological clocks. Springer-Verlag, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Grobbelaar, N., Huang, T.-C., Lin, H.-Y., Chow, T.-J. (1986) Dinitrogen-fixing endogenous rhythm in Synechococcus RF-1. FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 37, 173–177

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, T.-C., Chow, T.-J. (1986) New type of N2-fixing unicellular cyanobacterium (blue-green algae). FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 36, 109–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, T.-C., Chen, H.-M., Pen, S.-Y, Chen, T.-H. (1994) Biological clock in the prokaryote Synechococcus RF-1. Planta 193, 131–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Kondo, T., Strayer, C.A., Kuldarni, R.D., Taylor, W., Ishiura, M., Golden, S.S., Johnson, C.H. (1993) Circadian rhythms in prokaryotes: luciferase as a reporter of circadian gene expression in cyanobacteria. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 5672–5676

    Google Scholar 

  • Mckane, L., Kandel, J. eds. (1985) Miorobiology: essentials and applications. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitsui, A., Kumazawa, S., Takahashi, A., Ikemoto, H., Cao, S., Arai, T. (1986) Strategy by which nitrogen-fixing unicellular cyanobacteria grow photoautotrophically. Nature 323, 720–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanier, R.Y., Kunisawa, R., Mandel, M., Cohen-Bazire, G. (1971) Purification and properties of unicellular blue-green algae (order Chroococcales). Bact. Rev. 35, 171–205

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweeney, B.M., Borgese, M.B. (1989) A circadian rhythm in cell division in a prokaryote, the cyanobacterium Synechococcus WH7803. J. phycol. 25, 183–186

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

This work was funded by the Academia Sinica and the National Science Council of the Republic of China. We wish to express our sincere thanks to Dr. N. Grobbelaar, University of Pretoria, for his critical reading of the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huang, TC., Pen, SY. Induction of a circadian rhythm in Synechococcus RF-1 while the cells are in a “suspended state”. Planta 194, 436–438 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197545

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197545

Key words

Navigation