Reduced Uptake as a Mechanism of Zinc Tolerance in Oscillatoria anguistissima

Oscillatoria anguistissima could tolerate 50 ppm ZnSO₄.7H₂O, and a zinc-tolerant strain with maximum tolerance concentration (MTC) of 100 ppm ZnSO₄.7H₂O was obtained by stepwise transfer to higher concentrations. The adaptation was irreversible even after three generations in metal-free medium. In the presence of metal, the tolerant strain grew with a shorter lag period of 4 days as against 6 days in the case of the wild strain. The tolerant strain had higher MTC than that of the wild strain for other metals also, viz., Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺. The zinc resistance in the tolerant strain was a result of reduced uptake, since around 42% of the total metal was present on the surface as against only 30% in the wild strain. The calcium-stimulated uptake, as observed in the wild strain, was absent in the tolerant strain. Ultrastructural comparisons revealed no structural change in the tolerant strain on exposure to zinc, whereas in the wild strain a thick extracellular matrix was observed. Received: 25 January 2001 / Accepted: 9 March 2001