Homeostasis of cell composition during prolonged darkness.
The chemical composition of organisms in relation to their environmental resource availability is an area of intense research activity. We studied the changes in cell composition of the cyanobacterium Phormidium autumnale in response to prolonged darkness. Cells allocated their internal resources in a homeostatic manner, oxidizing all the three major cellular constituents in a proportional way. This resulted in constant C/N and carbohydrates, lipids and proteins ratios that remained unaltered throughout the whole incubation period. We propose the maintenance of balanced cell composition (homeostasis) as an evolutionary strategy related to environmental transitory changes.
Montechiaro
Federico
F
Dipartimento di Scienze del Mare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131Ancona, Italy.
Hirschmugl
Carol J
CJ
Raven
John A
JA
Giordano
Mario
M
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003624:Darkness; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
D001426:Bacterial Proteins