Oscillatoria sp.

History of Receipt and Isolation

• Country of origin: Republic of Kazakhstan.
• Site of isolation: Aktau, industrial zone of the oil refinery, production facilities, and sampling point M-13 (at the inlet from the production units).
• Habitat: Petroleum-contaminated wastewater from industrial facilities.
• Isolator(s): B.K. Zayadan and A.A. Dauletova, K. Bolatkhan at the Biotechnology Laboratory of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
• Year of accession to the collection: 2024.
• Method of obtainment: isolated from an enrichment culture obtained from a natural sample by sequential microbiological streaking
• Genetic features: Wild type (WT)
• Culture condition: Axenic.

Morphology and Structure

A filamentous (trichomal), multicellular prokaryotic organism (cyanobacterium). It forms long, straight, or slightly wavy, unbranched, uniseriate filaments (trichomes). A characteristic feature is the ability of the trichomes to exhibit active oscillatory and gliding rotational movement. Mucilaginous sheaths are absent or only very weakly developed, appearing as a thin, ephemeral mucilage layer. Vegetative cells are short, discoid, or broadly cylindrical and are connected by flat cross-walls. The cell width considerably exceeds the cell length: cells are 1.5–4.0 μm long and 5.0–12.0 μm wide. Terminal cells of the trichomes are smoothly rounded and may occasionally possess a calyptra. Cell differentiation is absent; the strain does not produce heterocysts or akinetes. According to the size classification, individual cells belong to the group of medium-sized microorganisms (2–20 μm), whereas the filaments are macroscopic in length.

Cultivation

• Culture media: liquid and agar-solidified mineral medium BG-11; F/2 medium.
• Temperature: 24–28 °C.
• Light intensity: 15–25 µmol photons/m²/s.
• Photoperiod: 16 h light / 8 h dark.
• pH: 7.5–8.5.

Physiological Characteristics

Halotolerant.

Long-term Preservation Conditions

Long-term storage of the Oscillatoria sp. strain is carried out on mineral BG-11 medium (liquid or solidified with 1.0–1.5% agar). The culture is maintained on specialized culture racks at 12–15 °C under low light intensity (5–10 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) with a 12 h light/12 h dark photoperiod. Routine subculturing (passaging) every 2.5–3 months optimally preserves the culture in the medium term. Storage temperatures below 10 °C are not permitted due to the risk of chilling injury and strain death.

Genetic Information

GenBank accession No. PZ747265

Field of Application

Utilized in fundamental research and biotechnology.