SCIENCE UPDATE BY CHRISTIAN DRAPEAU

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA)

Plant or
? Bacteria?

e often receive the question: Why is AFA at times

W referred to as blue-green algae while at other times it is

called a cyanobacteria or a cyanophyta? Why the
different names?
A large field of science is the field of nomenclature or how to
name living things. This science, called taxonomy, was developed
by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), and is based on the classification
of living organisms on the basis of physical characteristics, for the
most part. This system of nomenclature comprises seven levels of
classification: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and
species. With this naming system, the entire description of an
organism is contained in its name, whether it is a bacterium, a
“It is in
fungus, a flower or an animal. In common practice, however, most
living organisms are named using only their genus and species. For
our human
example, the monarch butterfly is called Danaus plexippus, a dog
is Canis familiaris, a wolf Canis lupus, a man Homo sapiens, nature to
and… the blue-green algae we know is Aphanizomenon flos-
aquae. classify and
Since this system of taxonomy is largely based on physical
characteristics, plants or animals with similar characteristics have
similar names. For example, insects that have eight legs and a
name
two-segment body are Arachnidae or spiders. A scorpion is called
Scorpionida arachnida and a common spider is Araneae things.”
arachnida. A fruit having one large pit is called Prunus. A peach

10 HEALTHSPAN fall 2007

is Prunus persica and an apricot is Prunus armeniaca. Likewise, a classification than to the objects themselves. At times people have
beautiful plant growing in water was originally called expressed a concern because AFA is a bacterium. As we all know,
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, or “invisible flower of water.” there are a number of bacteria that can carry very serious diseases.
Aphanizomenon is a genus of water plants characterized by their But to think of AFA as a pathogen because it is a bacterium would
filamentous colony-forming organization with heterocysts that can be a little like thinking that a house cat is dangerous because both
fix atmospheric nitrogen. To the first observers, Aphanizomenon fearsome tigers and domestic cats are felines, or that a penguin has
was a plant like algae, since it carried the distinct green color of to be able to fly because it is a bird. You can see that too much
chlorophyll. As it contained the unique blue pigment generalization within any taxonomy can lead to serious
phycocyanin, it was commonly called a blue-green algae, or -- misunderstandings!
more technically -- cyanophyta, which means “blue plant.” But Many bacteria are beneficial to health, and a number of
when the microscope was developed and AFA was first viewed bacteria are essential to health. In the same way, AFA is a
under magnification, scientists observed that it did not contain a beneficial microorganism.
nucleus, a characteristic shared by all bacteria. Since it did contain
phycocyanin, it was referred to as cyanobacteria. On the basis of
“AFA, when Whether AFA is called a
plant or a bacterium is truly
these observations, AFA was defined at the time as both a plant just a matter of classification.
(because of its chlorophyll content) and a bacterium (because of its concentrated in Therefore, we are all accurate
cytoplasmic DNA). But later, with advances in biochemistry, when we call AFA a
another development made the story yet a little more complex.
Scientists observed that AFA contained in its membrane a
our unique and cyanobacterium
bacterium) OR a cyanophyta
(blue

molecule similar to glycogen, a polysaccharide made by animal

cells. Upon this characteristic, one could classify AFA as partly an
patented product, (blue plant) OR cyanophycea
(blue seaweed). The best way
animal. So AFA is a bacterium or a plant -- and to some extent to refer to AFA, however, is
an animal -- and the name one decides to give it depends on the StemEnhance, this: It is a beautiful aquatic
angle from which one wants to look at it. plant which, when
It is in our human nature to classify and name things. Giving enhances stem concentrated in our unique
names to things allows us to talk about them; it is an important and patented product,
part of relating among ourselves. But there is a caveat to
classifying things: As we classify objects, we then relate more to the
cell physiology.” StemEnhance,
stem cell physiology.
enhances

Scientific Article “Mobilization of human CD34+ CD133+ and CD34+ CD133- stem cells in vivo by consumption of an extract from
on Studies with Aphanizomenon flos-aquae – related to modulation of CXCR4 expression by L-selectin ligand?”by Gitte S. Jensen,
StemEnhance Aaron N. Hart, Lue A.M. Zaske, Christian Drapeau, Niraj Gupta, David J. Schaeffer and J. Alex Cruikshank.
Journal of Cardiovascular Revascularization Medicine
Volume 8, 2007, pp. 189-202