Production of indole-3-acetic acid by the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis strain MMG-9

The filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis strain MMG-9 was isolated from a rice field. The ability of this strain to synthesize the bioactive compound indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was demonstrated. IAA was extracted from the culture A. platensis strain MMG-9 and its identity was confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) as well as by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The IAA precursor L-tryptophan was required for IAA biosynthesis. Released IAA increased with the increase of the initial concentration of L-tryptophan in the medium and with the incubation time. A. platensis strain MMG-9 accumulates more IAA than it released it into the medium. The bioactivity of the secreted IAA was shown by its effect on the formation of roots by Pisum sativum. There was a significant positive effect of the supernatant of cultures of A. platensis strain MMG-9 on the number of lateral roots of P. sativum while a negative effect on root length was observed.