Crinalium epipsammum sp. nov.: a filamentous cyanobacterium with trichomes composed of elliptical cells and containing poly- -(1,4) glucar (cellulose)

Abstract

This paper describes the isolation and characterization of a new species of cyanobacterium, Crinalium epipSammum. The assignment to the genus Crinalium, first described by Crow (1927), is based on a property which is u n d for cyanobacteria: trichomes viewed in cross-section are elliptical rather than circular. This organism was isolated from the surface layer of sandy soil of coastal dunes in The Netherlands. The organism is non-motile and drought resistant, and its cell surface is hydrophilic. The temperature optimum for growth is 25 OC. The mean DNA base composition is 33.9 mol% G + C. The cell wall is relatively thick and contains poly-p-(1,4)glucan (duIose), which is unusual for qanobadria.

Cyanobacterial cellulose synthesis in the light of the photanol concept

“…Also, the DNA of this organism has an exceptionally low GC content and these characteristics may reflect its low-nitrogen habitat and its incapability of fixing nitrogen. The cellulose detected in C. epipsammum might be present in non-crystalline form (de Winder et al, 1990); the presence of cellulose with low crystallization has also been reported for other cyanobacterial strains (Nobles, Romanovicz, and Brown, 2001). In native form neither cellulose I nor II was detected in C. epipsammum but in its extracted form cellulose II was found, probably as the result of the alkali treatment.…”

“…Although it has been known for a long time that cyanobacteria can produce cellulose (de Winder et al, 1990;Nobles, Romanovicz, and Brown, 2001), the mechanism and regulation of the process have never been investigated. The literature on cellulose production in cyanobacteria reports production of non-or semi-crystalline cellulose (de Winder et al, 1990;Nobles, Romanovicz, and Brown, 2001). A reason for the semi-crystalline nature of the cellulose may be the complex mixed-polysaccharide cell-wall layers produced by cyanobacteria.…”

“…One of the first detailed reports was the discovery of cellulose in a new cyanobacterial isolate, Crinalium epipsammum, which was shown to accumulate cellulose to 21.6% of its dry weight (de Winder et al, 1990), but before that, the presence of extracellular cellulose had been suggested in heterocystous cyanobacteria, based on light and electron microscopy (Tuffery, 1969). One report suggested that cellulose is an integral component of the heterocyst cell wall and essential for protecting nitrogen fixation in these specialized cells from oxygen inactivation (Granhall, 1976), but subsequent detailed studies of the heterocyst envelope did not confirm the presence of cellulose.…”

Bioprospecting the thermal waters of the Roman baths: isolation of oleaginous species and analysis of the FAME profile for biodiesel production

“…Cyanobacteria are often found in warm, low nutrient environments (De Winder et al 1990), and are typically more thermotolerant than eukaryotic algae (Barsanti and Gualtieri, 2006). Members of the single-celled cyanobacterial genus Thermosynechococcus are capable of surviving at 73-74°C, whilst thermophillic filamentous cyanobacteria typically occupy a lower temperature range of 55-62°C (Seckbach, 2007).…”

Alternative routes to biofuels: Light-driven biofuel formation from CO2 and water based on the ‘photanol’ approach

“…glycogen and poly-alkanoate formation. Significantly, homologous expression enzymes that catalyze the formation of extracellular cellulose has also been observed in natural isolates of cyanobacteria, like in the filamentous Crinalium epipsammum (Dewinder et al, 1990).…”