title: Rediscovering cyanobacteria as valuable sources of bioactive compounds.
abstract: Cyanobacteria are a simple, but primitive and diverse group of microorganisms, with characteristics in common to both bacteria and algae. Their success as a group in a wide range of habitats has been attributed to their unique physiological characters and high adaptive ability under a wide range of environmental conditions. The potential of cyanobacteria as a source of a variety of compounds such as polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, vitamins, sterols, enzymes, pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals is well recognized, and their demand is now on an increasing trend. This compilation reviews the salient advances in the discovery of bioactive compounds from cyanobacteria and their significance in agriculture and industry.
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology & Centre for Conservation and Utilization of Blue-Green Algae Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India. radhapr@gmail.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prasanna
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sood
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chaudhary
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Natarajan
mesh_terms: D001685:Biological Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001709:Biotechnology; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D010675:Pheromones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014815:Vitamins / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D001685:Biological Factors; D010675:Pheromones; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D014815:Vitamins