PhD Student
Ritu Garg
Phone: +49-7071 29-74632
Email: ritu.gargspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
Summary
The filamentous cyanobacteria Nostoc punctiforme and Anabaena variabilis are able to differentiate dormant akinetes from vegetative cells. These are transient spore like cells enabling these bacteria to withstand harsh environmental conditions, like nutrient starvation, low light and cold. When conditions improve, the akinetes can germinate forming small filaments released from the spore envelope. We studied the changes in morphology and metabolism during the differentiation and germination process in these two model organisms.
In this project we will investigate:
- the mechanisms of ultra-structural and metabolic changes of akinetes by functional and expression studies.
- the influence of the known cyanobacterial regulators NtcA, PII and HetR.
- cell-cell communication between cells of the filaments which are induced for akinete formation by FRAP studies.
