Cyanobacteria are a group of oxygenic photosynthetic prokaryotes found in almost all habitats on earth including those characterized as extreme environments. It has been observed that the number studies dealing with biodiversity extremophilic cyanobacteria is limited while exploring their bioactive potential even scarcer. The taxonomy three Nostoc-like cyanobacterial strains isolated from shall...

The phycobiliprotein phycoerythrin was localized in symbiotic and free-living Nostoc of the cycad Cycas using immunocytochemistry. In symbiotic Nostoc, phycoerythrin was associated with the thylakoid membranes of vegetative cells and absent from heterocysts. Similar cellular/subcellular localization was observed between symbiotic Nostoc and the free-living Cycas isolate Nostoc 7422.

The diversity of the endophytic Nostoc symbionts of two thalloid bryophytes, the hornwort Anthoceros fusiformis and the liverwort Blasia pusilla, was examined using the tRNA(Leu) (UAA) intron sequence as a marker. The results confirmed that many different Nostoc strains are involved in both associations under natural conditions in the field. The level of Nostoc diversity within individual bryop...

In modern life petroleum-based plastic has become indispensable due to its frequent use as an easily available and a low cost packaging and moulding material. However, its rapidly growing use is causing aquatic and terrestrial pollution. Under these circumstances, research and development for biodegradable plastic (bioplastics) is inevitable. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a type of microbial polye...

Evaluation of microbial loads and physico-chemicals cassava mill effluent simulated soil was carried out using standard microbiological biochemical techniques. This to determine the effect (CME) on rhizosphere loads, physicochemical properties, nitrogenous salt heavy metals. The results showed that CME determinants (pH, Ca, Mg, K) metal determinant (Fe, Zn, Co, Ni, Pb Mn) concentration dependen...

The present study reports on chromium (VI) tolerance of two cyanobacterial strains Nostoc linckia and Nostoc spongiaeforme isolated from salt affected soils using uni-algal and bi-algal systems. Besides distinct halophilism, the two strains exhibited remarkable tolerance to chromium (VI) and revealed 1.2 to 2.8 times more chlorophyll in the presence of the metal. While phycobilins and carotenoi...