Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Microbiology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Microbiology

The Synthetic Biology Of N2-Fixing Cyanobacteria For Photosynthetic Terpenoid Production, Charles T. Halfmann Jan 2017

The Synthetic Biology Of N2-Fixing Cyanobacteria For Photosynthetic Terpenoid Production, Charles T. Halfmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last few decades, concerns over global climate change, energy security, and environmental pollution have been rising. To overcome these challenges, the concept of “-nth generation” biofuels has emerged as a strategy to convert solar radiation into fuels and bulk industrial chemicals for societal use, while decreasing our consumption of nonrenewable energy sources. Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria hold a distinct advantage in biofuel production over plants, given their ability to convert sunlight, air (CO2 and N2), and mineralized water to energy-dense carbon molecules, as well as fix atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia for metabolism. Engineered cyanobacteria with …


Enhancing The Industrial Potential Of Filamentous Cyanobacteria, Tylor J. Johnson Jan 2016

Enhancing The Industrial Potential Of Filamentous Cyanobacteria, Tylor J. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this project were to improve the industrial potential of filamentous N2-fixing cyanobacteria by increasing its biofuel tolerance, and to evaluate the economic feasibility and environmental impacts of a theoretical, cyanobacteria-based biofuel production facility. To develop a method to quantify filamentous cyanobacteria in dilute culture media, a dual-stained fluorescence assay was evaluated. While the viable cell stain (SYTO® 9) was accurate, the non-viable cell stain (propidium iodide) also bound to viable cells. Additional non-viable cell stains were evaluated, but none were accurate at quantifying viability. Thus we concluded that the viable cell stain SYTO® 9 is a reliable …


Characterization Of Phycoerythrin Physiology In Low-Light Adapted Prochlorococcus Ecotypes, Kathryn H. Roache-Johnson Aug 2013

Characterization Of Phycoerythrin Physiology In Low-Light Adapted Prochlorococcus Ecotypes, Kathryn H. Roache-Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are the most abundant phototrophs in the oceans. They cohabit the oligotrophic ocean and thus have coevolved together, yet they have distinctly different methods for harvesting light. Synechococcus, like other cyanobacteria, possess phycobilisomes with various combinations of phycobiliproteins to capture wavelengths of light not otherwise available to chlorophyll. Prochlorococcus lack phycobilisomes and use divinyl chlorophyll b (Chl b2) as their primary accessory pigment to divinyl chlorophyll a (Chl a2) to capture light energy. In addition to the divinyl chlorophylls, Prochlorococcus has genes associated with the phycobiliprotein phycoerythrin (PE), the role of which is still …