Metabolic characteristics of akinetes of the cyanobacterium Fischerella muscicola

Abstract

Mature akinetes of Fischerella muscicola (Thuret) Gom. are shown to have a low rate of respiration and to lack photosynthetic pigments, photosynthetic O2‐evolving activity and the activities of the primary enzymes of inorganic nitrogen assimilation. The C/N ratio steadily increased during akinete differentiation and it is suggested that this increase results because, during akinete development, the loss of the activities of nitrogenase and glutamine synthetase precedes the loss of CO2 fixation. Copyright © 1988, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved