Characterization of salinity-tolerant mutant of Anabaena doliolum exhibiting multiple stress tolerance

Results show that an isolated mutant of the cyanobacterium Anabaena doliolum is a fast-growing strain. It exhibits approximately twofold higher NaCl tolerance than the wild type. It also reveals cross-resistance against the herbicide 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU), drug bacitracin, and LiCl. Further, an improved LiCl tolerance property of both the mutant and wild-type strains at high concentration of NaCl (40 m M) may be interpreted in terms of competitive inhibition of the Li(+) uptake by Na(+) ions, whereas bacitracin resistance in these organisms is described to be the result of an alteration in the drug transporting channels of membrane. The multiple stress tolerance property of the A. doliolum may be attributed to altered membrane characteristics in the mutant strain, leading to reduced intake of such toxicants.