Chromatic acclimation and population dynamics of green sulfur bacteria grown with spectrally tailored light.

ABSTRACT: Living organisms have to adjust to their surrounding in order to survive in stressful conditions. We study this mechanism in one of most primitive creatures - photosynthetic green sulfur bacteria. These bacteria absorb photons very efficiently using the chlorosome antenna complexes and perform photosynthesis in extreme low-light environments. How the chlorosomes in green sulfur bacteria are acclimated to the stressful light conditions, for instance, if the spectrum of light is not optimal for absorption, is unknown. Studying Chlorobaculum tepidum cultures with far-red to near-infrared light-emitting diodes, we found that these bacteria react to changes in energy flow by regulating the amount of light-absorbing pigments and the size of the chlorosomes. Surprisingly, our results indicate tha

SUBMITTER: Saikin SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4033924 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature