Enhancement of the growth of a basal cyanobacteria strain using flux balance analysis

Different types of media have been documented for cultivating cyanobacteria, illustrating the high diversity of this clade. While media should mimic the environment of the cyanobacteria to be isolated, freshwater and terrestrial cyanobacteria are usually isolated on BG-11 medium to facilitate their maintenance. Gloeobacter violaceus strain PCC 7421 was first isolated from the surface of a limestone rock in Kernwald (Switzerland) 2 and was later shown to be a widespread terrestrial organism. Its lack of thylakoids and circadian rhythm quickly gained the interests of the scientific community. The very slow growth of Gloeobacter under autotrophic conditions on BG-11 medium, along with its unability to maintain a constant internal pH, makes it difficult to cultivate and maintain it.