Regulation of cyanobacterial pigment-protein composition and organization by environmental factors

Abstract
The coordinate expression of stress-specific genes is a common response of all organisms to altered environmental conditions. In cyanobacteria, the physiological consequences of stress are often reflected in both the ultrastructure of the cell and in photosynthesis-related properties. This review will focus on the alterations in cyanobacterial pigment-protein organization which occur under different growth conditions, and how several molecular genetic aproaches are being used in this laboratory to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying these alterations. We will discuss in detail the response to iron starvation, and present a testable hypothesis for the mechanism of thylakoid reorganization mediated by this response.