CELL AGGREGATION OF THE CYANOBACTERIUM SYNECHOCOCCUS ELONGATUS: ROLE OF THE ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN

Cell aggregation, the formation of irregular clusters of individual cells or filaments, is frequently observed in many cyanobacterial species. The mechanism(s) and potential causes of cell aggregation were studied in a thermophilic strain of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus Näg. We found that cell aggregation occured as the natural response of a healthy, well-growing culture to a sudden increase in irradiance. We propose that aggregation represents a fast (time scale in minutes), light-adapting mechanism, affected by both light quality and the presence of substances altering photosynthetic electron transfer. Our data suggest an involvement of electron transfer downstream of PSI, with reactive oxygen species triggering the signal. Aggregation was an ATP-independent process and did not require de novo protein synthesis. We suggest a specific role of glutathione in this process based on its ability to induce aggregation in the dark.