The gas permeability coefficient of the cyanobacterial gas vesicle wall

The permeability of cyanobacterial gas vesicles was determined by measuring the gradient of oxygen through a suspension of Microcystis sp. gas vesicles. Using oxygen diffusivity through water as a reference point, the diffusivity through gas vesicles occupying 35% of the suspension volume was calculated to be 0.81 that of diffusivity through water. The gas permeability coefficient was shown to be 32 mm per second, while the rate consant for the gas vesicle to fill was 2.4 x 10(super -6) per second. It was concluded that randomly oriented gas vesicles cannot provide a gas-conducting channel.