Effects of certain toxic chemicals and mutagens on the growth of the blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans

Abstract

The blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans was treated with different concentrations of colchicine, sulfanilamide, hydroxylamine, and diethyl sulfate. Its growth was inhibited by relatively low concentrations of hydroxylamine and diethyl sulfate but not by those of colchicine. Colchicine stimulated the algal growth at a concentration of 1000 mg/l and inhibited it at a concentration of 5000 mg/l.Strains of the alga that are resistant to high concentrations of sulfanilamide were produced by subculturing it in increasing concentrations of the drug. These were found to be fully cross-resistant to the same concentrations of sulfaguanidine but not to sulfathiazole. Repeated subculture of the alga in an hydroxylamine medium failed to increase materially its resistance to hydroxylamine.Treatment of Anacystis nidulans with the mutagen diethyl sulfate failed to induce any streptomycin-resistant mutants.