This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ginzburg, D. Articles by Shilo, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ginzburg, D. Articles by Shilo, M.

Effect of Cyanophage Infection on CO₂ Photoassimilation in Plectonema boryanum

Department of Microbiological Chemistry, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel

ABSTRACT

Cyanophage infection effects a rapid and complete cessation of CO₂ photoassimilation in Plectonema cells. From the amount of infected cells lysed, it was established that this phenomenon cannot be ascribed to lysis of the host cells either from within or from without. The possibility that the effect is due to nitrogen starvation, induced secondarily by cyanophage multiplication, was ruled out when it was found that nitrogen supplementation did not influence the inhibition. It is suggested that the arrest of CO₂ photoassimilation is an integral part of the cyanophage infection cycle in P. boryanum. This idea is supported by the nondependence of the cyanophage-induced inhibition on the input multiplicity, by the light requirement for the inhibition, and by the fact that infected Plectonema cells with inhibited CO₂ photo-assimilation support normal multiplication of the cyanophage. The pattern of light requirement for this viral inhibition further supports this suggestion.