A Study of Genetic Transformation in Gloeocapsa alpicolu

The first report of genetic transformation in blue-green algae was that of Shestakov & Khyen ( I 970) who demonstrated the process in Anacystis nidulans. Transformation was effected by chemically-extracted DNA from drug-resistant mutants, and resembled bacterial transformation in that it was sensitive to DNAase. Transformation was later confirmed in this species by Herdman & Carr (197 I) , who also described a novel system of transformation mediated by an extracellular DNA/RNA complex. Herdman (1973 a, b) presented evidence of an associated phenomenon of mutation in transformation of A, nidulans. To date, most reports of genetic transformation in blue-green algae have referred to A. nidulans, although it has also been demonstrated in Aphanocapsa (Astier & Espardellier, 1976). This communi-cation reports the study of a transformation system in Gloeocapsa alpicola, and describes attempts to transfer drug-resistance markers intergenerically between Anacystis and Gloeocapsa.