Exploration of Possible Interactions Between Fullerenes and Genetic Materials Interference with molecular Machinery Processes

Abstract

ABSTRACT newline newlineCyanobacteria are prominent constituent of ecosystems and account for a significant percentage of marine primary productivity. Due to the exposure to UV radiations they have developed protective strategies to counteract the damaging effects of UV-B. Some species exhibit the ability to produce UV-absorbing compounds (MAAs) under UV-B stress to defend against lethal UV-B damage. newline The realization of the chemical potential of cyanobacteria in recent years has lead to an increase in their applications and products being commercialized. The data from this study can be used to evaluate the potential of cyanobacterium for high MAAs production. If feasible, it can be scaled-up for further study. In this study, unicellular and non-heterocystous cynaobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 has been used to investigate the effects of UV-B radiation on growth, protein and pigment system. Then, the statistical optimization of nutrient components of BG-11 medium is done for increased production of MAAs using design of experiments. A sequential approach comprising fractional factorial design and central composite design was applied. These studies explored the importance of optimum levels of significant nutrients of the medium used for the production of MAAs. Optimization of media for maximizing the production of MAAs, a potent sunscreen compound, is a captivating study, as MAAs have the reported evidence of possessing photoprotective role, have strong UV absorption maxima (310 nm- 362 nm) and high molar extinction coefficient. Further, the effects of UV B radiation were studied on the antioxidant defense system of the test cyanobacterium. Therefore, to assess the antioxidant potential, DPPH radical scavenging assay, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay (FRAP) and assay of various antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ASC-POD were carried out. Hence, the experimental work includes the study of cyanobacteria under UV-B stress as to comprehensively characterize th