IMMOBILIZATION OF PHYCOBIONTS CELLS ON BIOSKIN, A NATURAL PRODUCT OF MICROBIAL ORIGIN

Isolated phycobiont cells from the lichen Xanthoria parietina have bee n immobilized on small sheets of bioskin from which these cells are la rgely desorbed by washing these sheets with acetate buffer at pH 4.0. However, none or little desorption is achieved by washing bioskin piec es with phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. This indicates that immobilization i s performed by an ionic adsorption process in which D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine from bioskin matrix can be neutralized by anion ic proteins from the algal cell wall at neutral pH values. Immobilized cells retain, after storage in the dark and dryness at room temperatu re, considerable activity for 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) pho toreduction and little ability to produce chlorophylls, whereas these functions are rapidly levelled off in free algal cells stored in the s ame conditions. However, no cell division was observed after immobiliz ation for 12 days storage.