[H-CG33] Useful life-support systems in closed bio-ecosystems

[HCG33-P05] Analysis of macromolecular substances involved in the process of dehydration in a terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc sp. HK-01.

*Tomoko Abe¹, Yuka Takazawa¹, Ryusuke Honda¹, Kouga Ichikawa¹, Natsumi Yoshida¹, Shunta Kimura^2,4, Hiroshi Katoh³, Kaori Tomita-Yokotani² (1.School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Denki University, 2.Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 3.Mie University, 4.Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo)

Keywords:cyanobacteria, desiccation tolerance, stress protein

Nostoc sp. HK-01 is one of terrestrial cyanobacterium having a tolerance to desiccation stress and it has ability of usefulness as a food. It is thought that Nostoc sp. HK-01 can be used for bio-chemical circulation in a closed ecosystem, including space. Here, we aim at exploring macromolecular substances that would play an important role in the desiccation stress response.

In this study, to detect intracellular proteins of Nostoc sp. HK-01 during dehydration, proteins extracted from the cells on the way the dehydration were applied to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, initially. In the course of dehydration of the cells, the expression level of some proteins changed. Some of them were insoluble proteins, and others were soluble proteins. These proteins could be involved in desiccation tolerance of Nostoc sp. HK-01.