Oscillatoria is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria. It is often found in freshwater environments.[1] Its name refers to the oscillating motion of its filaments as they slide against each other to position the colony to face a light source.[2] Oscillatoria uses photosynthesis to survive and reproduce. Each filament of Oscillatoria consists of a row of cells called a trichome. The tip of the trichome oscillates like a pendulum.

Oscillatoria
"Oscillatoria princeps"
Oscillatoria princeps
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Cyanobacteria
Class: Cyanophyceae
Order: Oscillatoriales
Family: Oscillatoriaceae
Genus: Oscillatoria
Vaucher ex Gomont, 1822
Type species
Oscillatoria princeps
Vaucher ex Gomont
Species

See list in body text

Oscillatoria filaments

Reproduction takes place asexually by fragmentation. Usually the filament breaks into a number of fragments called hormogonia. Each hormogonium consist of one or more cells and grows into a filament by cell division in one direction.[1]

As a result of recent genetic analyses, several new genera were erected from this genus, e.g. Tenebriella.[3]

Research

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Oscillatoria are the subject of research into the natural production of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT),[4] an antioxidant, food additive, and industrial chemical.

Cyclic peptides called venturamides, which may have anti-malarial activity, have been isolated from bacteria in this genus. They are the first peptides with this activity to have been found in cyanobacteria.[5]

Serinolamide A is a cannabinoid structurally related to Anandamide that has been found to occur in Oscillatoria species.[6]

Species

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Oscillatoria contains the following species:[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Oscillatoria | cyanobacteria genus | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  2. ^ "Oscillatoria". oceandatacenter.ucsc.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  3. ^ Hauerová, Radka; Hauer, Tomáš; Kaštovský, Jan; Komárek, Jiří; Lepšová-Skácelová, Olga; Mareš, Jan (2021). "Tenebriella gen. nov. – the dark twin of Oscillatoria". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 165: 107293. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107293. PMID 34391914. S2CID 237093100.
  4. ^ Babu B, Wu JT (December 2008). "Production of Natural Butylated Hydroxytoluene as an Antioxidant by Freshwater Phytoplankton" (PDF). Journal of Phycology. 44 (6): 1447–1454. doi:10.1111/j.1529-8817.2008.00596.x. PMID 27039859. S2CID 26084768.
  5. ^ Linington, R. G.; González, J.; Ureña, L.-D.; Romero, L. I.; Ortega-Barría, E.; Gerwick, W. H. (2007). "Venturamides A and B: Antimalarial Constituents of the Panamanian Marine Cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp". Journal of Natural Products. 70 (3): 397–401. doi:10.1021/np0605790. PMID 17328572.
  6. ^ Gutiérrez, Marcelino; Pereira, Alban R.; Debonsi, Hosana M.; Ligresti, Alessia; Di Marzo, Vincenzo; Gerwick, William H. (2011). "Cannabinomimetic Lipid from a Marine Cyanobacterium". Journal of Natural Products. 74 (10): 2313–2317. doi:10.1021/np200610t. PMC 3325759. PMID 21999614.
  7. ^ "Algaebase :: Listing the World's Algae". www.algaebase.org. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
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