TOXIC EFFECT OF COPPER ON GROWTH, PIGMENTS, PROTEINS AND SOME ENZYMES OF NITROGEN ASSIMILATION IN THE DIAZOTROPHIC CYANOBACTERIUM ANABAENA VARIABILIS

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Egypt.

Abstract

The influence of Cu2+ toxicity on dry mass, chl.a, carotenoids, protein content, Cu2+ uptake, activities of some enzymes of nitrogen assimilation and alkaline phosphatase in the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis was evaluated.Lower Cu2+concentrations stimulated the dry weight, chl.a, and protein content, whereas, higher concentrations were inhibitory. In contrast, a prominent increase in the carotenoids content was detected in response to all Cu2+ treatments. A. variabilis showed high uptake capacity of Cu2+. The accumulation capacity is directly proportional to the external Cu2+ concentrations. A stimulation in the activities of glutamine synthetase (GS), NADH-glutamate synthetase (GOGAT), nitrate reductase (NR), nitrogenase and alkaline phosphatase (AP) in response to low Cu2+  concentrations was noted. However, higher ones inhibited the enzymes activities with different degrees. The enzymes could be arranged according to their tolerance to Cu2+ toxicity in the following order:  AP > NR > GOGAT > GS > nitrogenase.

Keywords

References

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