Dynamics of marine biopolymer networks

Marine Polymer-Gels' Relevance in the Atmosphere as Aerosols and CCN

Marine polymer gels play a critical role in regulating ocean basin scale biogeochemical dynamics. This brief review introduces the crucial role of marine gels as a source of aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in cloud formation processes, emphasizing Arctic marine microgels. We review the gel's composition and relation to aerosols, their emergent properties, and physico-chemical processes that explain their change in size spectra, specifically in relation to aerosols and CCN. Understanding organic aerosols and CCN in this context provides clear benefits to quantifying the role of marine nanogel/microgel in microphysical processes leading to cloud formation. This review emphasizes the DOC-marine gel/aerosolized gel-cloud link, critical to developing accurate climate models.

From Nano-Gels to Marine Snow: A Synthesis of Gel Formation Processes and Modeling Efforts Involved with Particle Flux in the Ocean

Marine gels (nano-, micro-, macro-) and marine snow play important roles in regulating global and basin-scale ocean biogeochemical cycling. Exopolymeric substances (EPS) including transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) that form from nano-gel precursors are abundant materials in the ocean, accounting for an estimated 700 Gt of carbon in seawater. This supports local microbial communities that play a critical role in the cycling of carbon and other macro- and micro-elements in the ocean. Recent studies have furthered our understanding of the formation and properties of these materials, but the relationship between the microbial polymers released into the ocean and marine snow remains unclear. Recent studies suggest developing a (relatively) simple model that is tractable and related to the available data will enable us to step forward into new research by following marine snow formation under different conditions. In this review, we synthesize the chemical and physical processes. We emphasize where these connections may lead to a predictive, mechanistic understanding of the role of gels in marine snow formation and the biogeochemical functioning of the ocean.

The MUC5B mucin polymer is dominated by repeating structural motifs and its topology is regulated by calcium and pH

The polymeric mucin MUC5B provides the structural and functional framework of respiratory mucus, conferring both viscoelastic and antimicrobial properties onto this vital protective barrier. Whilst it is established that MUC5B forms disulfide-linked linear polymers, how this relates to their packaging in secretory granules, and their molecular form in mucus remain to be fully elucidated. Moreover, the role of the central heavily O-glycosylated mucin domains in MUC5B conformation is incompletely described. Here we have completed a detailed structural analysis on native MUC5B polymers purified from saliva and subsequently investigated how MUC5B conformation is affected by changes in calcium concentration and pH, factors important for mucin intragranular packaging and post-secretory expansion. The results identify that MUC5B has a beaded structure repeating along the polymer axis and suggest that these repeating motifs arise from distinct glycosylation patterns. Moreover, we demonstrate that the conformation of these highly entangled linear polymers is sensitive to calcium concentration and changes in pH. In the presence of calcium (Ca²⁺, 10 mM) at pH 5.0, MUC5B adopted a compact conformation which was lost either upon removal of calcium with EGTA, or by increasing the pH to 7.4. These results suggest a pathway of mucin collapse to enable intracellular packaging and mechanisms driving mucin expansion following secretion. They also point to the importance of the tight control of calcium and pH during different stages of mucin biosynthesis and secretion, and in the generation of correct mucus barrier properties.

Secretion of DNases by Marine Bacteria: A Culture Based and Bioinformatics Approach

The vast majority of bacteria present in the natural environment are present in the form of aggregates and/or biofilms. Microbial aggregates are ubiquitous in the marine environment and are inhabited by diverse microbial communities which often express intense extracellular enzymatic activities. However, the secretion of an important group of enzymes, DNases, by bacteria from marine aggregates has not been studied, despite the importance of these aggregates in biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in the oceans. In this work, we therefore, employed both culture-based and bioinformatics approaches to understand the diversity of bacterial DNases in marine bacterioplankton. We found that 34% of 345 strains of attached and non-attached marine bacteria showed extracellular DNase activity. Most of these isolates belong to Proteobacteria (53%) and Firmicutes (34%). Secretion of DNases by bacteria isolated from marine gel particles (MGP) is reported here for the first time. Then, to further understand the wider diversity of the potential to produce DNases, sequences were compared using 2316 whole genome and 42 metagenome datasets. Thirty-nine different taxonomic groups corresponding to 10 bacterial phyla were found to encode genes responsible for DNase secretion. This study highlights the unexpected and widespread presence of DNase secretion in bacteria in general and in MGP more specifically. This has important implications for understanding the dynamics and fate of marine microbial aggregates in the oceans.

Impact of exposure of crude oil and dispersant (Corexit) on aggregation of extracellular polymeric substances

Spilled oil treated with Corexit dispersant can cause unintended impacts on marine environment systems including altering marine organic matter dynamics; however, impacts on microgels and marine oil snow (MOS) formation are still debated and remain to be fully understood. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are a major source of marine organic carbon for MOS and microgel formation. EPS initial aggregation plays key roles in the oil degrading process and various biogeochemical reactions. Here we used four types of EPS with water accommodated fraction (WAF), chemically-enhanced WAF (CEWAF) and Corexit, to represent potential situations during oil spills and post-application of Corexit. We found that Corexit alone can inhibit EPS aggregation and disperse pre-existing microgels. CEWAF can enhance EPS aggregation with efficiency by up to 80%-100% and more aggregates accumulated within the air-water interface. Additionally, more hydrophobic EPS aggregates showed high resistance to Corexit dispersion while hydrophilic EPS were more sensitive. Effects of oil spills on marine gel particle formation are primarily determined by chemical characteristics (hydrophobicity and protein content) of the constituent EPS. This study offers unique insights for organic particle dynamics and identifies controlling factors for MOS or gel particles associated with oil spills and Corexit dispersant used.

Sea Spray Aerosol Structure and Composition Using Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy

The composition and surface properties of atmospheric aerosol particles largely control their impact on climate by affecting their ability to uptake water, react heterogeneously, and nucleate ice in clouds. However, in the vacuum of a conventional electron microscope, the native surface and internal structure often undergo physicochemical rearrangement resulting in surfaces that are quite different from their atmospheric configurations. Herein, we report the development of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy where laboratory generated sea spray aerosol particles are flash frozen in their native state with iterative and controlled thermal and/or pressure exposures and then probed by electron microscopy. This unique approach allows for the detection of not only mixed salts, but also soft materials including whole hydrated bacteria, diatoms, virus particles, marine vesicles, as well as gel networks within hydrated salt droplets-all of which will have distinct biological, chemical, and physical processes. We anticipate this method will open up a new avenue of analysis for aerosol particles, not only for ocean-derived aerosols, but for those produced from other sources where there is interest in the transfer of organic or biological species from the biosphere to the atmosphere.

Ameliorating effects of extracellular polymeric substances excreted by Thalassiosira pseudonana on algal toxicity of CdSe quantum dots

Quantum dots (QDs) are engineered nanoparticles (ENs) that have found increasing applications and shown great potential in drug delivery, biological imaging and industrial products. Knowledge of their stability, fate and transport in the aquatic environment is still lacking, including details of how these nanomaterials interact with marine phytoplankton. Here, we examined the toxicity of functionalized CdSe/ZnS QDs (amine- and carboxyl-) by exposing them for five days to Thalassiosira pseudonana (marine diatom) grown under different nutrient-conditions (enriched versus nitrogen-limited media). The released polysaccharides and proteins, the major components of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), were measured to assess their potential effects on the interactions between QDs and T. pseudonana. The partitioning of QDs was analyzed by monitoring the concentration of Cd in different size fractions of the cultures (i.e., filtrate, <0.22 μm and permeate, <3 kDa). We found that the Cd release of QDs in the T. pseudonana culture was dependent on the nutrient conditions and nature of QDs' surface coating. Both amine- and carboxyl-functionalized QDs exhibited higher rates of Cd release in N-limited cultures than in nutrient enriched cultures. The results also showed that amine-functionalized QDs aggregate with minimal Cd release, independent of nutrient conditions. Laser scanning confocal microscopy images confirmed that aggregates are composed of QDs and the culture matrix (EPS). In addition, both types of QDs showed limited toxicity to T. pseudonana. The increasing production of proteins induced by QDs suggests that extracellular proteins might be involved in the detoxification of QDs to T. pseudonana via the Cd release of QDs. Our results here demonstrated that EPS can play an ameliorating role in QD toxicity, fate and transport in the aquatic environment.

Aggregation, dissolution, and stability of quantum dots in marine environments: importance of extracellular polymeric substances

There is an increasing concern that a considerable fraction of engineered nanoparticles (ENs), including quantum dots (QDs), will eventually find their way into the marine environment and have negative impacts on plankton. As ENs enter the ocean, they will encounter extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from microbial sources before directly interacting with plankton cells. In this study, EPS harvested from four phytoplankton species, Amphora sp., Dunaliella tertiolecta, Phaeocystis globosa, and Thalassiosira pseudonana, were examined for potential interactions with CdSe nonfunctionalized and functionalized (carboxyl- and amine-) QDs in artificial seawater. Our results show that EPS do not reduce the solubility of QDs but rather decrease their stability. The degradation rate of QDs was positively correlated to the protein composition of EPS (defined by the ratio of protein/carbohydrate). Two approaches showed significant inhibition to the degradation of carboxyl-functionalized QDs: (1) the presence of an antioxidant, such as N-acetyl cysteine, and (2) absence of light. Owing to the complexity in evaluating integrated effects of QDs intrinsic properties and the external environmental factors that control the stability of QDs, conclusions must be based on a careful consideration of all these factors when attempting to evaluate the bioavailability of QDs and other ENs in the marine environments.

Marine microgels

The ocean plays a critical role in global carbon cycling: it handles half of the global primary production, yielding the world's largest stock of reduced organic carbon (ROC) that supports one of the world's largest biomasses. However, the mechanisms whereby ROC becomes mineralized remain unresolved. This review focuses on laboratory and field observations that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) self-assembles, forming self-assembled microgels (SAGs). Self-assembly has approximately10% yield, generating an estimated global seawater SAG budget of approximately 10(16) g C. Transects at depths of 10-4,000 m reveal concentrations of approximately 10(6) to approximately 3 x 10(12) SAG L(-1), respectively, forming an estimated ROC stock larger than the global marine biomass. Because hydrogels have approximately 1% solids (10 g L(-1)), whereas seawater DOC reaches approximately 10(-3) g L(-1), SAGs contain approximately 10(4) more bacterial substrate than seawater. Thus, microgels represent an unsuspected and huge micron-level ocean patchiness that could profoundly influence the passage of DOC through the microbial loop, with ramifications that may scale to global cycles of bioactive elements.

Unpacking a gel-forming mucin: a view of MUC5B organization after granular release

Gel-forming mucins are the largest complex glycoprotein macromolecules in the body. They form the matrix of gels protecting all the surface epithelia and are secreted as disulfide-bonded polymeric structures. The mechanisms by which they are formed and organized within cells and thereafter released to form mucus gels are not understood. In particular, the initial rate of expansion of the mucins after release from their secretory granules is very rapid (seconds), but no clear mechanism for how it is achieved has emerged. Our major interest is in lung mucins, but most particularly in MUC5B, which is the major gel-forming mucin in mucus, and which provides its major protective matrix. In this study, using OptiPrep density gradient ultracentrifugation, we have isolated a small amount of a stable form of the recently secreted and expanding MUC5B mucin, which accounts for less than 2% of the total mucin present. It has an average mass of approximately 150 x 10(6) Da and size Rg of 150 nm in radius of gyration. In transmission electron microscopy, this compact mucin has maintained a circular structure that is characterized by flexible chains connected around protein-rich nodes as determined by their ability to bind colloidal gold. The appearance indicates that the assembled mucins in a single granular form are organized around a number of nodes, each attached to four to eight subunits. The organization of the mucins in this manner is consistent with efficient packing of a number of large heavily glycosylated monomers while still permitting their rapid unfolding and hydration. For the first time, this provides some insight into how the carbohydrate regions might be organized around the NH(2)- and COOH-terminal globular protein domains within the granule and also explains how the mucin can expand so rapidly upon its release.