The gene (ppc) coding for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase) in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7942 has been inactivated via insertional mutagenesis while being functionally complemented by Escherichia coli ppc. Cyanobacterial cells functionally complemented by E. coli ppc showed decreased PEPCase activity in crude cell lysates and detergent-permeabilized whole cell assays. Decreas...

We have designed a microfluidic device in which we can manipulate, lyse, label, separate, and quantify the protein contents of a single cell using single-molecule fluorescence counting. Generic labeling of proteins is achieved through fluorescent-antibody binding. The use of cylindrical optics enables high-efficiency (approximately 60%) counting of molecules in micrometer-sized channels. We use...

Prochlorococcus is a major photosynthetic prokaryote in nutrient-limited, open ocean environments and an important participant in the global carbon cycle. This phototroph is distinct from other members of the cyanobacterial lineage to which it belongs because it utilizes a chlorophyll a2/b(2) light-harvesting complex as its major antenna, instead of phycobilisomes. Recently, genes encoding the ...