Photosynthetic viruses keep world's oxygen levels up.Byline: ANILondon, August 31 (ANI): A new research has shown that photosynthetic viruses can keep the world's oxygen levels up. The viruses, which infect single-celled algae algae (ăl`jē) [plural of Lat. alga=seaweed], a large and diverse group of primarily aquatic plantlike organisms. These organisms were previously classified as a primitive subkingdom of the plant kingdom, the thallophytes (plants that called cyanobacteria cyanobacteria (sī'ənōbăktĭr`ēə, sī-ăn'ō–) or blue-green algae, photosynthetic bacteria that contain chlorophyll. , are hyper efficient photosynthesisers thanks to a unique set of genes. Previous work had shown that cyanophage viruses have some photosynthesis genes, apparently used to keep the host cyanobacteria on life support during the infection, which otherwise knocks out the cells' basic functions. Now, according to a report in New Scientist, Oded Beja from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa said that the cyanophages' photosynthetic proficiency doesn't stop there. While screening DNA sequences in water samples collected during Craig Venter's Global Ocean Sampling Expedition The Sorcerer II Global Ocean Sampling Expedition (GOS) is an Ocean exploration Genome project with the goal of assessing the genetic diversity in marine microbial communities and to understand their role in nature's fundamental processes. , his team discovered seven more photosynthesis genes coding for a complex of proteins collectively named photosystem Photosystems (ancient Greek: phos = light and systema = assembly) are protein complexes involved in photosynthesis. They are found in the thylakoid membranes of plants, algae and cyanobacteria (in plants and algae these are located in the chloroplasts), or in the I. They believe the viral complex has a unique shape that makes cyanophage photosynthesis hyperefficient. In normal photosynthesis, photosystem I grabs electrons from proteins higher up in the photosynthesis chain reaction. According to the team, the viral photosystem I genes allow the cyanophages to not only take electrons from the proteins involved in photosythesis but also from other algal algal pertaining to or caused by algae. algal infection is very rare but systemic and udder infections are recorded. See protothecosis. algal mastitis the algae Prototheca trispora and P. proteins. "We suspect that when these phages enter the cell, they start to replace (the cell's) photosystem," said Beja. "By grabbing electrons from all sources available at the time, they get more energy out of photosynthesis," he added. Eric Wommack of the University of Delaware [3] The student body at the University of Delaware is largely an undergraduate population. Delaware students have a great deal of access to work and internship opportunities. in Newark said that the discovery suggests these viruses may play a role in global oxygen production. "Their hosts produce half the world's oxygen and roughly 10 per cent of these cells are infected by cyanophages," he said. "So it is possible that as much as 5 per cent of the world's oxygen production results from cyanophage infected cells," he added. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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