Quantitative Elemental Analysis of Heavy Metal Exposed Cells of Synechococcus Leopoliensis Using Regular and Overplus Cells: An Energy Disspersive X-Ray Spectroscopy Study

Abstract It has previously been shown that microbial polyphosphate bodies are the main sites of metal sequestration. In our present study, we have exposed Synechococcus leopoliensis, grown to log phase and to overplus phase, to five different heavy metals, Al, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn, independently. The cells were analyzed using the STEM mode of a transmission electron microscope in conjunction with a PGT IMIX energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer. Cells of Synechococcus leopoliensis were grown for two weeks at 21°C on a 12-hour light/dark cycle in modified Fizgerald’s medium The second cell type were the overplus cells, which were grown as previously described. The cells were exposed to 100PPM of each metal for two hours, then were fixed and embedded in EPON according to Luff’s procedure. For x-ray analysis, cells of interest were first located using the TEM mode. The microscope was then switched to the STEM mode.