title: Ultrastructural and chemical assessment of poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid in the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii.
abstract: We report here on the occurrence and quantities of poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) in natural populations of the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii. A diurnal variation in the shape and size of PHB granules and in PHB content was observed. The highest PHB levels (2.3 +/- 0.8 mg g-1 dry wt) were recorded in the early morning and the values decreased thereafter with a minimum at night (1.6 +/- 0.9 mg g-1 dry wt). Our data suggest that PHB is a prominent cell constituent in T. thiebautii and that its synthesis takes place in the early morning whereas it is utilized during the rest of the day.
authors.affiliation: Marine Science Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Björkman
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002479:Inclusion Bodies / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008386:Marine Biology; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D011091:Polyesters; C003182:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates