Advances in MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY This Page Intentionally Left Blank Advances in MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY edited by A. H. ROSE School of Biological Sciences Bath University . England J. GARETH MORRIS Department of Botany and Microbiology University College Wales Aberystwyth Volume 20 1979 ACADEMIC PRESS London . New York * Toronto. Sydney . San Francisco A Subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jouanovich, Publishers ACADEMIC PRESS INC. (LONDON) LTD. 24/28 Oval Road London NW1 7DX United States Edition published by ACADEMIC PRESS INC. 1 1 I Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10003 Copyright 0 1979 by ACADEMIC PRESS INC. (LONDON) LTD. All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by photostat, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publishers British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Advances in microbial physiology. Vol. 20 1. Micro-organisms - Physiology I. Rose, Anthony Harry 11. Morris, John Gareth 576’.11 QR84 67-19850 ISBN 0-12-027720-4 ISSN 0065-291 1 Filmset b~ Willmer Brothers Limited, Birkenhead, Merseyside Printed by Whitstable Litho Ltd Whitstable Kent Contributors ANTHONY F. CACCIAPUOTI Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, Portland, Orugon 97201, U.S.A. W. FORD DOOLITTLE Department ofBiochemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifaal, Nova Scotia, Canada PAUL G. LYSKO Department of Microbiology and lmmunologv, University of Oregon Health Sciences Centel; Portland, Oregon 97201, U.S.A. J. MANDELSTAM Microbiology Unit, Department o f Biochemistry, University o f Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K. STEPHEN A. MORSE Department Microbiology and Immunology, University o f Oregon Health Sciences Center, Portland, Oregon 97201, U.S.A. TAIJI NAKAE Department of Parasitology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa-ken, Japan HIROSHI NIKAIDO Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Berkeley, California 91720, U.S.A. M. YOUNG Department o f Botany and Microbiology, University College of Wales, Aberyshyth SY23 3DA, Dyfed, U.K. This Page Intentionally Left Blank Contents The Cyanobacterial Genome, its Expression, and the Control of that Expression by W. FORD DOOLITTLE I. Introduction. . . . . . . . . A. Preamble. . . . . . . B. What cyanobacteria are . . . . . . . C. Why they are of interest . . . . . . . 11. Cyanobacterial anatomy . . . . . . A. Sheaths, walls and membranes. . . . . . B. Phycobiliproteins and phycobilisomes . . . . C. Cellular inclusions . . . . . . . D. Differentiated cells . . . . . . . E. Morphology, taxonomy and phylogeny . . . . 111. Cyanobacterial metabolism . . . . . . . A. Photoautotrophic metabolism . . . . . B. Endogenous metabolism . . . . . . . C. Photoheterotrophy and facultative chemoheterotrophy . D. Controls on metabolism . . . . . . . E. The biochemical basis of obligate photoautorophy . . IV. The cyanobacterial genome . . . . . . A. “Chromosome” structure . . . . . . B. Chromosomal DNA: base composition and base modification C. Chromosomal DNA: sequence complexity. . . . D. Plasmid DNAs. . E. DNA synthesis. . . . . . . V. Cyanobacterial ribonucleic acids synthesis, processing and sequence characterization . . . A. RNA polymerase . . . . . , . . . B. Ribosomal RNA . . . . . . C. Transfer RNA . . . . . . . D. Conditionally-stable RNAs of unknown function . E. Unstable (presumed messenger) RNA . VI. Ribosomes and their functions . . . . . . A. Ribosome structure . . . B. Ribosome function . . . . . . . VII. Control of gene expression . . . A. General remarks: an expression of faith . . . B. Effects of light on net macromolecular synthesis . C. Effects of light intensity and colour (“quantity” and “quality’’) components of th