Photokinesis of Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Motile cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells show photomovement with respect to the light stimulus. Under lateral irradiation, Synechocystis displays a phototactic gliding movement toward the light source by a twodimensional random biased walk. Under vertical irradiation, Synechocystis decreased the frequency of mean vectorial gliding speed dependent on the applied fluence rate, whereas the deviation distribution width of the speed increased. This strongly suggests the involvement of photokinesis. Evidence for the cyanobacterial photokinesis was discussed in the previous report (Choi et al., 1999. Photochem. Photobiol. 70, 95-102) demonstrating that the gross scalar speed of vertically irradiating cells increased by about 50% compared with that of dark-adapted cells. In the visible wavelength range, Synechocystis cells showed a maximal photokinetic activity at 420 nm and a second maximal activity at 680 nm. The threshold action spectrum for the photokinesis resembles the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll with major differences in the phototaxis action spectrum at 560 nm and 660 nm. We postulate that the cyanobacterial photokinesis is powered by the energy-generating chlorophyll pigments.