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Updated: Dec 13, 2025
Isolation and Characterization of Intact Phycobilisome in Cyanobacteria
Published on: November 10, 2021
Sequential aqueous two-phase system for simultaneous purification of cyanobacterial phycobiliproteins
Alin Sebastian Porav1, Maricel Bocăneală1, Alexandra Fălămaş2
1Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, "Babeş-Bolyai" University, 5-7 Clinicilor St., 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donat St., 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Abstract:
A logical framework was used for designing a top-down strategy for cyanobacterial phycobiliprotein purification. The purification scheme is based on the non-chromatographic technique, known as aqueous two-phase system. The scheme was optimized at every stage to enhance the recovery yield with the highest purity. We tested this strategy on four cyanobacteria, two containing only phycocyanin and allophycocyanin (Arthrospira platensis AICB49, Synechocystis sp. AICB51) and two that have an extra phycobiliprotein, namely phycoerythrin (Fremyella sp. UTEX481, Coelomoron pussilum AICB1012). The results showed that the recovery efficiency of the phycobiliproteins is strongly influenced by the phycobilisome composition. For the first two strains the recovery yield of both phycocyanin and allophycocyanin was >80%, with an analytical purity grade for phycocyanin (>4.2) and a reactive purity grade for allophycocyanin (>2.9). The recovery yield of phycoerythrin was lower but compensating with an increase in purity, 5.2 for Fremyella and 4.5 for C. pussilum.
