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Work package 1 (WP1)
Topic: Cyanobacterial Dormant Forms in an Aquatic environment
Objective: Establishment of dormant stage/ Induction of akinetes in
cyanobacteria
Task
Deliverable #
month
1. Determine conditions for the induction of
akinetes
D4
9 (M9)
2. Physiological processes involved in the
induction of the dormant stage
D8
30 (M30)
3. Compounds and metabolites associated
with the dormant stage
D8
30 (M30)
4. Development of molecular tools: DNA
libraries. Gene expression during akinete
formation (avaK, hetR)
D5
D6
18 (M18)
27 (M27)
5. Quantitative analyses of the expression
of specific genes by QPCR
D7
35 (M35)
6. Summary and Report
(M36)
# D4 and # D8
Basic studies to reveal conditions and mechanisms involved in induction of
akinetes formation, dormancy and desiccation:
Nutrient Depletion (P), Light, Temp, O2 (hypoxia)
Specialized envelopes
Storage of metabolites [carbohydrates, cyanophycin (N)] – enzymes involved,
e.g cyanophycine synthase
Tolerance to stress: heat shock proteins/chaperones-function in maintaining
structural integrity of biomolecules.
Tryptophan, aspartate, aspargin, phenyl-alanine and serine triggered akinete
formation.
Mature akinetes
Respiration and Photosynthetic apparatus (is there pigments production?)
O2 evolution/consumption
Reduced energy production?
• To collect adequate material for further genomic, proteomic and
metabolomic studies.
Whole cell protein extracts from Aphanizomenon ovalisporum
(Akinetes and vegetative cells) separated on 10 and 12.5% PAGE.
Akinete specific proteins are labeled with an arrow