Biotechnological applications of cyanobacterial phycobiliproteins

Cyanobacteria (Blue-green algae) are a morphologically diverse and widely distributed group of photosynthetic prokaryotes which exhibit oxygenic (O2evolving) photosynthesis similar to plants (Stanier and Cohen-Bazire, 1977). They are among the oldest life forms on earth which evolved around 2.4 billion years ago (Fischer, 2008). Comprising about 150 genera with more than 2000 species, they exhibit remarkable diversity in their morphology, ranging from simple unicellular and colonial to complex filamentous forms with or without branching (Van den Hoek et al., 1995). Owing to their remarkable adaptability to varying environmental conditions, they successfully colonize almost all kinds of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Tandeau de Marsac and Houmard, 1993). Many cyanobacteria grow and thrive in extreme environments, such as ice-based cold habitats (Zakhia et al., 2008; Pandey et al., 1995), geothermal habitats (Ward and Castenholz, 2000), hypersaline habitats (Oren, 2000) and deserts (WynnWilliams, 2000). The ability of many cyanobacteria to perform both photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation together with their efficient nutrient uptake mechanisms and adaptation to low light intensity makes them highly productive ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 2 Number 9 (2013) pp. 89-97 http://www.ijcmas.com