Cyanobacteria use the sun's energy to create food for themselves while consuming carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen, thus playing a role in Earth's climate. Scientists are trying to take advantage of these processes to develop sustainable biofuels and other bioproducts.
A team of scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, EMSL, the Colorado School of Mines, Pennsylvania State University, Montana State University, Purdue University and Washington State University used EMSL capabilities to determine how cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 flourishes compared to other blue-green algae under the same conditions. The team found under intense light Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 triples in size to accommodate a rapid expansion of the cellular functions that build proteins to allow it to keep growing. The team published its findings in mBio.
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Reference: Bernstein HC, RS McClure, EA Hill, LM Markillie, WB Chrisler, MF Romine, JE McDermott, MC Posewitz, DA Bryant, AE Konopka, JK Fredrickson, AS Beliaev. 2016. "Unlocking the Constraints of Cyanobacterial Productivity: Acclimations Enabling Ultra-Fast Growth." mBio 7(4):e00949-16. July 2016. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00949-16.