Evidence For Nitrification In Virus Infected Cyanobacterial Cultures Maintained With Amino- Acids (Amines) As Sole Nitrogen Sources

Rajendra Mehta¹, Abhay Shankar Mishra²* and S. Audholiya¹

¹Institute of Rural Technology and Social Development, Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur - 495009 (India) ²Unique College, Bhopal (India).

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria Phormidium uncinatum, Plectonema boryanum, Nostoc muscorum and Anacystis nidulans were grown/ incubated in combined nitrogen-free or nitrate, ammonium, glutamine or asparagines supplemented medium and infected with there respective cyanophages LPP-1, N-1, AS-1. The final cyanophage yield drastically reduced in nitrogen starved cultures but remained significantly high and roughly uniformed in combined nitrogen cultures. The nitrite and ammonia contents of Phormidium uncinatum cultures, sustained with amino acids (amines) as sole nitrogen sources, were considerably high due to inorganic nitrogen fixing and nitrate assimilating cultures failed to liberate any of the inorganic nitrogen and only nitrate was detected in ammonia supplemented cultures. In all cases , cyanophage infection rendered significantly high ammonia and nitrite liberation activities in amino acids (amines) sustained cultures (inact and broken cells) when compared with respective healthy cultures. Nitrification like “ammonia oxidation” reaction was established and assayed in cellular and cell-free preparations of infected and uninfected cyanobacteria. These data suggest a potent role of ammonia and amino acids (amines) oxidation in supporting phage multiplication via generating additional cellular reductants.

KEYWORDS: Cyanobacteria; ammonia oxidase; combined nitrogen sources nitrification

[ HTML Full Text]