Cyanobacterium isolated from hypersaline envirnoment in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Euhalothece sp. KZN 001

A increase in salinity levels up to 200 ppt in Lake St. Lucia, due to the infrequent opening of the estuary mouth, coupled with very low freshwater inflow resulted in cyanobacterium blooms. The organism isolated was identified as Cyanothece sp, and closely related to Dactylococcopsis salina. The indigenous cyanobacterium was found have several other unique traits that made it an attractive target for detailed investigation. This halophillic organism is able to overproduce phycobiliproteins, has relativity low nutritional requirements and a fast growth rate, thus producing high biomass. The sequencing of the genome will provide important information which will facilitate the identification of current as well as new and novel genes and proteins.