''Synechocystis'' is a genus of

unicellular A unicellular organism, also known as a single-celled organism, is an organism that consists of a single cell, unlike a multicellular organism that consists of multiple cells. Organisms fall into two general categories: prokaryotic organisms and ...

, freshwater

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...

in the family Merismopediaceae. It includes a strain, ''Synechocystis'' sp. PCC 6803, which is a well studied

model organism A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Mo ...

Like all cyanobacteria, ''Synechocystis'' branches on the evolutionary tree from its ancestral root, '' Gloeobacter violaceus''. ''Synechocystis'' is not

diazotrophic Diazotrophs are organisms capable of nitrogen fixation, i.e. converting the relatively inert diatomic nitrogen (N2) in Earth's atmosphere into bioavailable compound forms such as ammonia. Diazotrophs are typically microorganisms such as bacteria ...

, and is closely related to another model organism, ''

Cyanothece ''Cyanothece'' is a genus of unicellular, diazotrophic, oxygenic photosynthesizing cyanobacteria. Modern organisms and cellular organization In 1976, Jiří Komárek defined the prokaryotic cyanobacteria genus ''Cyanothece'' as distinct from '' ...

'' ATCC 51442. It has been suggested that originally ''Synechocystis'' possessed the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, but lost the genes required for the process. ''Synechocystis'' can detect light and move in the direction of light.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7662346 Cyanobacteria genera Synechococcales Bacteria genera

See also

References