colonial Microcystis aeruginosa compared to the unicellular form

Microcystis spp., a ubiquitous bloom-forming cyanobacterial species, often present in colony form which is vital for their dominance in eutrophic lakes worldwide. Mechanisms underlying colony formation from Microcystis single cells have been long confusing algal scientist. To gain molecular insights into differences between colonial and unicellular Microcystis, we present a comprehensive comparison of the structure and gene expression patterns of one non-axenic Microcystis aeruginosa strain present in both colonial (D2) and unicellular (D2S) forms under laboratory conditions.