Water availability is likely to have been an important determinant in the evolution of primitive cells. Water stress (the immobilization and drying of cells, desiccation of cells, and rehydration of cells) induces marked changes in gene expression of cyanobacteriumNostoc commune. Upon rewetting, cells ofN. commune,desiccated for as long as five years, show a rapid and sequential recovery of respiration, photosynthesis, and then nitrogen fixation. We isolated selected genes for further analysis of water-stress induced changes in transcription and translation. Of particular interest is the expression of the wspgene whose product accounts for more than 60% of the total soluble protein.

Hunsucker, S., K. Klage, M. Potts and R.F. Helm. (2004) The proteome of Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133: a preliminary account. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 317:1121-1127.   [Abstract]

Paerl, H.W., T.F. Steppe, K.C. Buchan, and M. Potts. (2003) Hypersaline cyanobacterial mats as indicators of elevated tropical hurricane activity and associated climate change. Ambio 32: 87-90.   [Abstract]

Shirkey, B., N. J. McMaster, S.C. Smith, D. J. Wright, H. Rodriguez, P. Jaruga, M. Birincioglu, R. F. Helm, and M. Potts. (2003) Genomic DNA of Nostoc commune (Cyanobacteria) becomes covalently modified during long-term (decades) desiccation but is protected from oxidative damage and degradation. Nucleic Acids Res., 31:2995-3005.

Shaw, E., D.R. Hill, U.C. T�ber, H. Marand, R.F. Helm and M. Potts. (2003) Unusual water flux in the extrapolysaccharide of Nostoc commune (Cyanobacteria). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:5679-5684.   [Abstract]

Slotta, G., L. S. Heath, N. Ramnakrishnan, R. Helm, and M. Potts. (2003) Clustering mass spectrometry data using order statistics. Proteomics. 3:1687-1691.   [Abstract]

Life and death of dried prokaryotes, Billi D, Potts M, RES MICROBIOL 153 (1): 7-12 JAN-FEB 2002   [Abstract]

Bloom, F., P. Price, G. Lao, J.L. Xia, J.H. Crowe, J.R. Battista, R.F. Helm, S. Slaughter, and M. Potts. (2001) Engineering mammalian cells for solid-state sensor applications. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 16: 603-608.   [Abstract]

Form species Nostoc commune (Cyanobacteria). D.J. Wright, T. Prickett, R.F. Helm and M. Potts. Inter. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 51 (2001) 1839-1852.   [Abstract]

Gene transfer to the desiccation-tolerant cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis. D. Billi, E.I. Friedmann, R.F. Helm and M. Potts, J. Bacteriol., 183 (2001) 2298-2305.   [Abstract]

Screening protocol for the ultraviolet-photoprotective pigment scytonemin. S.W. Hunsucker, B.M. Tissue, M. Potts and R.F. Helm, Anal. Biochem. 288 (2001) 227-230.   [Abstract]