Role of manganese in protection against oxidative stress under iron starvation in cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120.

The cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 was grown in presence and absence of iron to decipher the role of manganese in protection against the oxidative stress under iron starvation and growth, manganese uptake kinetics, antioxidative enzymes, lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage, thiol content, total peroxide, proline and NADH content was investigated. Manganese supported the growth of cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120 under iron deprived conditions where maximum uptake rate of manganese was observed with lower K(m) and higher V(max) values. Antioxidative enzymes were also found to be elevated in iron-starved conditions. Estimation of lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage depicted the role of manganese in stabilizing the integrity of the membrane which was considered as the prime target of oxygen free radicals in oxidative stress. The levels of total peroxide, thiol, proline and NADH content, which are the representative of oxidative stress response in Anabaena 7120, were also showed increasing trends in iron starvation. Hence, the results discerned, clearly suggested the role of manganese in protection against the oxidative stress in cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120 under iron starvation either due to its antioxidative properties or involvement as cofactor in a number of antioxidative enzymes.