Cyanophycin Granules from the Blue-Green Alga Anabaena cylindrica: A Reserve Material Consisting of Copolymers of Aspartic Acid and Arginine.

The cyanophycin granules from two-week-old cultures of the blue-green alga Anabaena cylindrica were isolated by sonication of the cells followed by differential centrifugation. These particles are composed of polypeptides containing only two amino acids, aspartic acid and arginine, and have a molecular weight between about 25,000 and 100,000.