Purification and Biochemical Analysis of the Cytoplasmic Membrane from the Desiccation-Tolerant Cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584

The cytoplasmic membrane of the heterocystous cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584 was isolated free of thylakoids and phycobiliprotein-membrane complexes by flotation centrifugation. Purified membranes had a buoyant density of 1.07 g cm⁻³ and were bright orange. Twelve major proteins were detected in the membrane, and of these, the most abundant had molecular masses of 83, 71, 68, 51, and 46 kilodaltons. The ester-linked fatty acids of the methanol fraction contained 16:0, 18:0, 18:1ω9c, 20:0, and 20:3ω3 with no traces of hydroxy fatty acids. Compound 20:3ω3 represented 56.8% of the total fatty acid methyl esters, a feature which distinguishes the cell membrane of N. commune UTEX 584 from those of all other cyanobacteria which have been characterized to date. Fatty acid 18:3 was not detected. Carotenoids were analyzed by highperformance liquid chromatography. The cytoplasmic membrane contained β-carotene and echinenone as the dominant carotenoids and lacked chlorophyll a and pheophytin a. Whole cells contained β-carotene and echinenone, and lesser amounts of zeaxanthin and (3R)-cryptoxanthin.