Pigment decomposition, oxygen evolution and CO2 fixation were measured in the cyanobacterium Phormidium uncinatum after infection with cyanophage LPP‐1, under light and dark conditions. A gradual decrease in para benzoquinone supported O2 evolution, chlorophyll a and phycocyanin level were noticed after 6 h of infection. These results demonstrated decreased photosynthetic activity of the host P. uncinatum prior to the start of LPP‐1 multiplication. Metabolic inhibitor investigations confirmed that the cyanophage LPP‐1 multiplication was independent of host photosynthesis.
The cellular glycogen pool and nitrate reductase activity were measured in the cyanobacterium Phormidium uncinatum after infection with cyanophage LPP‐1, under both light and dark conditions. While dark incubation of the cyanobacterium reduced the glycogen level, the nitrate reductase (NR) activity remained almost unchanged. Furthermore, cyanophage multiplication enhances cellular glycogen level and NR activity in both illuminated and dark‐incubated cyanobacterial cultures. Cyanophage‐mediated increase in host nitrate assimilation appears to support the high protein demand for its reproductive cycle.
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