Cyanobacteria are a fascinating group of bacteria that have colonized virtually every environment on Earth throughout evolution. These bacteria have been instrumental in the development of life on Earth, being responsible for the appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere and playing a fundamental role in the primary productivity of the biosphere. Thanks to their simple nutritional requirements, their metabolic plasticity and the powerful genetics of some of their strains, these bacteria can be used as microbial cell factories for carbon capture and storage, as well as for the sustainable production of secondary metabolites and biofuels. Knowledge of their cellular biology is essential to achieve these applications.

This book provides an overview of the most current issues in cyanobacterial cell biology research. Topics covered include: cell division; cell envelope; thylakoid membrane; membrane selection and protein translocation; chromatic adaptation; the carboxysome; glycogen as a dynamic storage source of photosynthetically fixed carbon; Cyanophycin as a dynamic nitrogen reserve; gas vesicles; motility in unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria; cell differentiation in filamentous cyanobacteria, and cell-cell junction proteins in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. These texts, in short, are a valuable resource not only for all researchers working in this field, but also for those working on topics related to microbiology.

This book complements the book “The Cyanobacteria: Molecular Biology, Genomics and Evolution” published in 2008 by the same British publisher and also edited by Antonia Herrero and Enrique Flores, CSIC Research Professors at the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis. The book is available for download in full or by chapters at this link: http://www.horizonpress.com/cyano2