Question

Minireview: mechanism of desiccation tolerance in cyanobacteria

Answer 1

Drying of cells leads to damage resulting from crowding of cytoplasmic components, condensation of the nucleoid, increases in the Tm of membrane phase transitions, and imposition of stress upon cell walls. Prolonged desiccation leads to oxidation of proteins, DNA and membrane components through metal-dependent Fenton reactions, while Maillard reactions generate cross-linked products between the carbonyl groups of reducing sugars and the primary amines of nucleic acids and proteins.For Nostoc commune, the mechanisms of desiccation tolerance reflect both simple and complex interactions at the structural, physiological and molecular levels.