1
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Reignier O, Bormans M, Hervé F, Robert E, Savar V, Tanniou S, Amzil Z, Noël C, Briand E. Spatio-temporal connectivity of a toxic cyanobacterial community and its associated microbiome along a freshwater-marine continuum. HARMFUL ALGAE 2024; 134:102627. [PMID: 38705620 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2024.102627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Due to climate changes and eutrophication, blooms of predominantly toxic freshwater cyanobacteria are intensifying and are likely to colonize estuaries, thus impacting benthic organisms and shellfish farming representing a major ecological, health and economic risk. In the natural environment, Microcystis form large mucilaginous colonies that influence the development of both cyanobacterial and embedded bacterial communities. However, little is known about the fate of natural colonies of Microcystis by salinity increase. In this study, we monitored the fate of a Microcystis dominated bloom and its microbiome along a French freshwater-marine gradient at different phases of a bloom. We demonstrated changes in the cyanobacterial genotypic composition, in the production of specific metabolites (toxins and compatible solutes) and in the heterotrophic bacteria structure in response to the salinity increase. In particular M. aeruginosa and M. wesenbergii survived salinities up to 20. Based on microcystin gene abundance, the cyanobacteria became more toxic during their estuarine transfer but with no selection of specific microcystin variants. An increase in compatible solutes occurred along the continuum with extensive trehalose and betaine accumulations. Salinity structured most the heterotrophic bacteria community, with an increased in the richness and diversity along the continuum. A core microbiome in the mucilage-associated attached fraction was highly abundant suggesting a strong interaction between Microcystis and its microbiome and a likely protecting role of the mucilage against an osmotic shock. These results underline the need to better determine the interactions between the Microcystis colonies and their microbiome as a likely key to their widespread success and adaptation to various environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Myriam Bormans
- UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, University of Rennes 1, Rennes F-35042, France
| | - Fabienne Hervé
- IFREMER, PHYTOX, Laboratoire METALG, Nantes F-44000, France
| | - Elise Robert
- IFREMER, PHYTOX, Laboratoire GENALG, Nantes F-44000, France
| | | | - Simon Tanniou
- IFREMER, PHYTOX, Laboratoire METALG, Nantes F-44000, France
| | - Zouher Amzil
- IFREMER, PHYTOX, Laboratoire METALG, Nantes F-44000, France
| | - Cyril Noël
- IFREMER, IRSI - Service de Bioinformatique (SeBiMER), Plouzané, France
| | - Enora Briand
- IFREMER, PHYTOX, Laboratoire GENALG, Nantes F-44000, France.
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2
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Santos-Merino M, Yun L, Ducat DC. Cyanobacteria as cell factories for the photosynthetic production of sucrose. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1126032. [PMID: 36865782 PMCID: PMC9971976 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1126032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofuels and other biologically manufactured sustainable goods are growing in popularity and demand. Carbohydrate feedstocks required for industrial fermentation processes have traditionally been supplied by plant biomass, but the large quantities required to produce replacement commodity products may prevent the long-term feasibility of this approach without alternative strategies to produce sugar feedstocks. Cyanobacteria are under consideration as potential candidates for sustainable production of carbohydrate feedstocks, with potentially lower land and water requirements relative to plants. Several cyanobacterial strains have been genetically engineered to export significant quantities of sugars, especially sucrose. Sucrose is not only naturally synthesized and accumulated by cyanobacteria as a compatible solute to tolerate high salt environments, but also an easily fermentable disaccharide used by many heterotrophic bacteria as a carbon source. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the current knowledge of the endogenous cyanobacterial sucrose synthesis and degradation pathways. We also summarize genetic modifications that have been found to increase sucrose production and secretion. Finally, we consider the current state of synthetic microbial consortia that rely on sugar-secreting cyanobacterial strains, which are co-cultivated alongside heterotrophic microbes able to directly convert the sugars into higher-value compounds (e.g., polyhydroxybutyrates, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, or dyes) in a single-pot reaction. We summarize recent advances reported in such cyanobacteria/heterotroph co-cultivation strategies and provide a perspective on future developments that are likely required to realize their bioindustrial potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Santos-Merino
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Lisa Yun
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Daniel C. Ducat
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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3
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Physiological and Metabolic Responses of Freshwater and Brackish-Water Strains of Microcystis aeruginosa Acclimated to a Salinity Gradient: Insight into Salt Tolerance. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:AEM.01614-19. [PMID: 31444201 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01614-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proliferation of microcystin (MC)-producing Microcystis aeruginosa in brackish waters has been described in several locations and represents a new concern for public and environmental health. While the impact of a sudden salinity increase on M. aeruginosa physiology has been studied, less is known about the mechanisms involved in salt tolerance after acclimation. This study aims to compare the physiological responses of two strains of M. aeruginosa (PCC 7820 and PCC 7806), which were isolated from contrasted environments, to increasing salinities. After acclimation, growth and MC production rates were determined and metabolomic analyses were conducted. For both strains, salinity decreased the biovolume, growth, and MC production rates and induced the accumulation of polyunsaturated lipids identified as monogalactosyldiacylglycerol. The distinct salt tolerances (7.5 and 16.9) obtained between the freshwater (PCC 7820) and the brackish-water (PCC 7806) strains suggested different strategies to cope with the osmotic pressure, as revealed by targeted and untargeted metabolomic analyses. An accumulation of trehalose as the main compatible solute was obtained in the freshwater strain, while sucrose was mainly accumulated in the brackish one. Moreover, distinct levels of glycine betaine and proline accumulation were noted. Altogether, metabolomic analysis illustrated a strain-specific response to salt tolerance, involving compatible solute production.IMPORTANCE Blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa and the production of microcystins are major issues in eutrophic freshwater bodies. Recently, an increasing number of proliferations of M. aeruginosa in brackish water has been documented. The occurrence of both M. aeruginosa and microcystins in coastal areas represents a new threat for human and environmental health. In order to better describe the mechanisms involved in Microcystis sp. proliferation in brackish water, this study used two M. aeruginosa strains isolated from fresh and brackish waters. High salinity reduced the growth rate and microcystin production rate of M. aeruginosa In order to cope with higher salinities, the strains accumulated different cyanobacterial compatible solutes, as well as unsaturated lipids, explaining their distinct salt tolerance.
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4
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Tanabe Y, Yamaguchi H, Sano T, Kawachi M. A novel salt-tolerant genotype illuminates the sucrose gene evolution in freshwater bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 366:5561441. [PMID: 31504438 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnz190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcystis aeruginosa is a water bloom-forming cyanobacterium found in fresh and brackish water ecosystems worldwide. Previously, we showed that several instances of M. aeruginosa bloom in brackish water can be explained by the proliferation of salt-tolerant M. aeruginosa strains harboring genes for a compatible solute sucrose. However, evolutionary history of sucrose genes in M. aeruginosa remains unclear because salt-tolerant strains have been poorly described. Here, we characterized a novel salt-tolerant strain of M. aeruginosa (NIES-4325) isolated from the brackish water of Lake Abashiri, Japan. A whole-genome analysis of M. aeruginosa NIES-4325 identified genes for sucrose synthesis (sppA, spsA and susA). Quantitative sucrose and gene expression analyses suggested that sucrose is implicated in acclimation to high salt in NIES-4325. Notably, the sucrose genes of M. aeruginosa are monophyletic, yet sucrose genes of NIES-4325 are highly divergent from those of other salt-tolerant M. aeruginosa strains. This suggests an early sucrose gene import into M. aeruginosa from other cyanobacteria, followed by multiple losses during intraspecific diversification. One of a few survivors of salt-tolerant strains is a likely donor of recent horizontal spreads of sucrose genes across M. aeruginosa lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuhiko Tanabe
- Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Haruyo Yamaguchi
- Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Tomoharu Sano
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Analysis, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Masanobu Kawachi
- Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
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5
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Mahboubi A, Niittylä T. Sucrose transport and carbon fluxes during wood formation. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2018; 164:67-81. [PMID: 29572842 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Wood biosynthesis defines the chemical and structural properties of wood. The metabolic pathways that produce the precursors of wood cell wall polymers have a central role in defining wood properties. To make rational design of wood properties feasible, we need not only to understand the cell wall biosynthetic machinery, but also how sucrose transport and metabolism in developing wood connect to cell wall biosynthesis and how they respond to genetic and environmental cues. Here, we review the current understanding of the sucrose transport and primary metabolism pathways leading to the precursors of cell wall biosynthesis in woody plant tissues. We present both old, persistent questions and new emerging themes with a focus on wood formation in trees and draw upon evidence from the xylem tissues of herbaceous plants when it is relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Mahboubi
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Totte Niittylä
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
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6
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Tanabe Y, Hodoki Y, Sano T, Tada K, Watanabe MM. Adaptation of the Freshwater Bloom-Forming Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to Brackish Water Is Driven by Recent Horizontal Transfer of Sucrose Genes. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1150. [PMID: 29922255 PMCID: PMC5996124 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcystis aeruginosa is a bloom-forming cyanobacterium found in eutrophic water bodies worldwide. M. aeruginosa blooms usually occur in freshwater; however, they have also been reported to occur in brackish water. Because M. aeruginosa often produces the cyanotoxin microcystin, they are a major concern to public health and environment. Despite this, the ecology, genomic basis, and evolutionary process underlying the M. aeruginosa bloom invasion from fresh to brackish water have been poorly investigated. Hence, in the present study, we have sequenced and characterized genomes of two newly discovered salt-tolerant M. aeruginosa strains obtained from Japanese brackish water lakes (Lakes Shinji and Tofutsu). Both genomes contain a set of genes for the synthesis of osmolyte sucrose (sppA, spsA, and susA), hitherto identified in only one strain (PCC 7806) of M. aeruginosa. Chemical and gene expression analyses confirmed sucrose accumulation induced by salt. A comprehensive genetic survey of >200 strains indicated that sucrose genes are extremely rare in M. aeruginosa. Most surprisingly, comparative genome analyses of the three strains indicated extremely low genetic diversity in the sucrose genes compared with other core genome genes, suggesting very recent acquisitions via horizontal transfer. Invasion of M. aeruginosa blooms into brackish water may be a recent event triggered by anthropogenic eutrophication of brackish water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuhiko Tanabe
- Algae Biomass and Energy System R&D Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | - Tomoharu Sano
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Analysis, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Tada
- Algae Biomass and Energy System R&D Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Makoto M Watanabe
- Algae Biomass and Energy System R&D Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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7
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Xie J, Hu H, Cai K, Xia L, Yang F, Jiang Y, Chen Y, Zhou C. Structural and enzymatic analyses ofAnabaenaheterocyst‐specific alkaline invertase InvB. FEBS Lett 2018; 592:1589-1601. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Xie
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Hai‐Xi Hu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Kun Cai
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Ling‐Yun Xia
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Feng Yang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Yong‐Liang Jiang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Yuxing Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Cong‐Zhao Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
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8
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Wang W, Su X, Tian Z, Liu Y, Zhou Y, He M. Transcriptome profiling provides insights into dormancy release during cold storage of Lilium pumilum. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:196. [PMID: 29703130 PMCID: PMC6389108 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4536-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bulbs of the ornamental flower Lilium pumilum enter a period of dormancy after flowering in spring, and require exposure to cold for a period of time in order to release dormancy. Previous studies focused mainly on anatomical, physiological and biochemical changes during dormancy release. There are no dormancy studies of the northern cold-hardy wild species of Lilium at the molecular level. This study observed bulb cell and starch granule ultrastructures during cold storage; and analysed the transcriptome using sequencing. The combination of morphological and transcriptomic methods provides valuable insights into dormancy release during cold storage of Lilium pumilum. Results Ultrastructural changes reflected dormancy release during cold storage of the bulbs. We compared gene expression levels among samples at 0 (S1 stage), 30 (S2 stage), 60 (S3 stage) and 90 (S4 stage) d of cold storage, with 0 d as the control. The data showed that some regulatory pathways such as carbohydrate metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction were activated to break dormancy. Some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to antioxidant activity, epigenetic modification and transcription factors were induced to respond to low temperature conditions. These genes constituted a complex regulatory mechanism of dormancy release. Conclusions Cytological data related to dormancy regulation was obtained through histomorphological observation; transcriptome sequencing provided comprehensive sequences and digital gene expression tag profiling (DGE) data, and bulb cell ultrastructural changes were closely related to DEGs. The novel Lilium pumilum genetic information from this study provides a reference for the regulation of dormancy by genetic engineering using molecular biology tools. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4536-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Wang
- Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaoxia Su
- Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | | | - Yu Liu
- Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Yunwei Zhou
- Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
| | - Miao He
- Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
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9
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The genes and enzymes of sucrose metabolism in moderately thermophilic methanotroph Methylocaldum szegediense O12. Extremophiles 2018; 22:433-445. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-018-1006-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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10
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Li LN, Kong JQ. Transcriptome-wide identification of sucrose synthase genes in Ornithogalum caudatum. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ra27611j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A transcriptome-wide discovery and functional identification of a sucrose synthase family was presented. Importantly, OcSus1 and OcSus2 were first verified to be responsible for the biosynthesis of glucose-containing polysaccharides inO. caudatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Na Li
- Institute of Materia Medica
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines & Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Biosynthesis of Natural Products)
- Beijing
- China
| | - Jian-Qiang Kong
- Institute of Materia Medica
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines & Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Biosynthesis of Natural Products)
- Beijing
- China
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11
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Kolman MA, Salerno GL. Sucrose in bloom-forming cyanobacteria: loss and gain of genes involved in its biosynthesis. Environ Microbiol 2015; 18:439-49. [PMID: 26913819 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2015] [Revised: 09/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bloom-forming cyanobacteria are widely distributed in freshwater ecosystems. To cope with salinity fluctuations, cyanobacteria synthesize compatible solutes, such as sucrose, to maintain the intracellular osmotic balance. The screening of cyanobacterial genomes revealed that homologues to sucrose metabolism-related genes only occur in few bloom-forming strains, mostly belonging to Nostocales and Stigonematales orders. Remarkably, among Chroococcales and Oscillatoriales strains, homologues were only found in M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 and Leptolyngbya boryana PCC 6306, suggesting a massive loss of sucrose metabolism in bloom-forming strains of these orders. After a complete functional characterization of sucrose genes in M. aeruginosa PCC 7806, we showed that sucrose metabolism depends on the expression of a gene cluster that defines a transcriptional unit, unique among all sucrose-containing cyanobacteria. It was also demonstrated that the expression of the encoding genes of sucrose-related proteins is stimulated by salt. In view of its ancestral origin in cyanobacteria, the fact that most bloom-forming strains lack sucrose metabolism indicates that the genes involved might have been lost during evolution. However, in a particular strain, like M. aeruginosa PCC 7806, sucrose synthesis genes were probably regained by horizontal gene transfer, which could be hypothesized as a response to salinity fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- María A Kolman
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC-CONICET), Fundación para Investigaciones Biológicas Aplicadas (FIBA), Vieytes 3103, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - Graciela L Salerno
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC-CONICET), Fundación para Investigaciones Biológicas Aplicadas (FIBA), Vieytes 3103, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
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12
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Sandrini G, Huisman J, Matthijs HCP. Potassium sensitivity differs among strains of the harmful cyanobacterium Microcystis and correlates with the presence of salt tolerance genes. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2015. [PMID: 26208527 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnv121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcystis aeruginosa is a ubiquitous harmful cyanobacterium that causes problems in eutrophic lakes. Potassium ion (K(+)) addition is one of the suggested methods to combat harmful cyanobacterial blooms. To investigate the effectiveness of this method, we compared the potassium ion sensitivity of four Microcystis strains. Microcystis strains PCC 7005 and NIES-843 were very susceptible to potassium ion concentrations of ∼ 12 mmol L(-1), whereas strain PCC 7806 and its non-toxic mutant PCC 7806 ΔmcyB were not affected by added potassium ions. The origin of the strain appears to be of importance. Strain PCC 7806 originates from brackish water and possesses genes for the synthesis of the compatible solute sucrose, the water channel protein gene aqpZ and the sodium influx gene nhaS2, whereas strains PCC 7005 and NIES-843 have a freshwater origin and lack these genes. We conclude that potassium ion addition will not be a successful mitigation strategy in brackish waters, but may temporarily suppress Microcystis blooms in freshwater lakes. However, in the long run other Microcystis strains or other cyanobacteria with a higher salt tolerance will likely take over. In addition, our results also have implications for the potassium ion concentrations of mineral media used in laboratory studies with cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Sandrini
- Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jef Huisman
- Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hans C P Matthijs
- Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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13
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The Crystal Structure of Nitrosomonas europaea Sucrose Synthase Reveals Critical Conformational Changes and Insights into Sucrose Metabolism in Prokaryotes. J Bacteriol 2015; 197:2734-46. [PMID: 26013491 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00110-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED In this paper we report the first crystal structure of a prokaryotic sucrose synthase from the nonphotosynthetic bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. The obtained structure was in an open form, whereas the only other available structure, from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, was in a closed conformation. Comparative structural analysis revealed a "hinge-latch" combination, which is critical to transition between the open and closed forms of the enzyme. The N. europaea sucrose synthase shares the same fold as the GT-B family of the retaining glycosyltransferases. In addition, a triad of conserved homologous catalytic residues in the family was shown to be functionally critical in the N. europaea sucrose synthase (Arg567, Lys572, and Glu663). This implies that sucrose synthase shares not only a common origin with the GT-B family but also a similar catalytic mechanism. The enzyme preferred transferring glucose from ADP-glucose rather than UDP-glucose like the eukaryotic counterparts. This predicts that these prokaryotic organisms have a different sucrose metabolic scenario from plants. Nucleotide preference determines where the glucose moiety is targeted after sucrose is degraded. IMPORTANCE We obtained biochemical and structural evidence of sucrose metabolism in nonphotosynthetic bacteria. Until now, only sucrose synthases from photosynthetic organisms have been characterized. Here, we provide the crystal structure of the sucrose synthase from the chemolithoautotroph N. europaea. The structure supported that the enzyme functions with an open/close induced fit mechanism. The enzyme prefers as the substrate adenine-based nucleotides rather than uridine-based like the eukaryotic counterparts, implying a strong connection between sucrose and glycogen metabolism in these bacteria. Mutagenesis data showed that the catalytic mechanism must be conserved not only in sucrose synthases but also in all other retaining GT-B glycosyltransferases.
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14
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Diricks M, De Bruyn F, Van Daele P, Walmagh M, Desmet T. Identification of sucrose synthase in nonphotosynthetic bacteria and characterization of the recombinant enzymes. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 99:8465-74. [PMID: 25846332 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-015-6548-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/15/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Sucrose synthase (SuSy) catalyzes the reversible conversion of sucrose and a nucleoside diphosphate into fructose and nucleotide (NDP)-glucose. To date, only SuSy's from plants and cyanobacteria, both photosynthetic organisms, have been characterized. Here, four prokaryotic SuSy enzymes from the nonphotosynthetic organisms Nitrosomonas Europaea (SuSyNe), Acidithiobacillus caldus (SuSyAc), Denitrovibrio acetiphilus (SusyDa), and Melioribacter roseus (SuSyMr) were recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli and thoroughly characterized. The purified enzymes were found to display high-temperature optima (up to 80 °C), high activities (up to 125 U/mg), and high thermostability (up to 15 min at 60 °C). Furthermore, SuSyAc, SuSyNe, and SuSyDa showed a clear preference for ADP as nucleotide, as opposed to plant SuSy's which prefer UDP. A structural and mutational analysis was performed to elucidate the difference in NDP preference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic SuSy's. Finally, the physiological relevance of this enzyme specificity is discussed in the context of metabolic pathways and genomic organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margo Diricks
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frederik De Bruyn
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Paul Van Daele
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maarten Walmagh
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Desmet
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
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15
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Sucrose in cyanobacteria: from a salt-response molecule to play a key role in nitrogen fixation. Life (Basel) 2015; 5:102-26. [PMID: 25569239 PMCID: PMC4390843 DOI: 10.3390/life5010102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In the biosphere, sucrose is mainly synthesized in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, green algae and land plants, as part of the carbon dioxide assimilation pathway. Even though its central position in the functional biology of plants is well documented, much less is known about the role of sucrose in cyanobacteria. In those prokaryotes, sucrose accumulation has been associated with salt acclimation, and considered as a compatible solute in low-salt tolerant strains. In the last years, functional characterizations of sucrose metabolizing enzymes, metabolic control analysis, cellular localization of gene expressions, and reverse genetic experiments have revealed that sucrose metabolism is crucial in the diazotrophic growth of heterocystic strains, and besides, that it can be connected to glycogen synthesis. This article briefly summarizes the current state of knowledge of sucrose physiological functions in modern cyanobacteria and how they might have evolved taking into account the phylogenetic analyses of sucrose enzymes.
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Salt acclimation of cyanobacteria and their application in biotechnology. Life (Basel) 2014; 5:25-49. [PMID: 25551682 PMCID: PMC4390839 DOI: 10.3390/life5010025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The long evolutionary history and photo-autotrophic lifestyle of cyanobacteria has allowed them to colonize almost all photic habitats on Earth, including environments with high or fluctuating salinity. Their basal salt acclimation strategy includes two principal reactions, the active export of ions and the accumulation of compatible solutes. Cyanobacterial salt acclimation has been characterized in much detail using selected model cyanobacteria, but their salt sensing and regulatory mechanisms are less well understood. Here, we briefly review recent advances in the identification of salt acclimation processes and the essential genes/proteins involved in acclimation to high salt. This knowledge is of increasing importance because the necessary mass cultivation of cyanobacteria for future use in biotechnology will be performed in sea water. In addition, cyanobacterial salt resistance genes also can be applied to improve the salt tolerance of salt sensitive organisms, such as crop plants.
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Perez-Cenci M, Salerno GL. Functional characterization of Synechococcus amylosucrase and fructokinase encoding genes discovers two novel actors on the stage of cyanobacterial sucrose metabolism. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2014; 224:95-102. [PMID: 24908510 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Plants and most cyanobacteria metabolize sucrose (Suc) with a similar set of enzymes. In Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, a marine cyanobacterium strain, genes involved in Suc synthesis (spsA and sppA) have been characterized; however, its breakdown was still unknown. Indeed, neither invertase nor sucrose synthase genes, usually found in plants and cyanobacteria, were found in that Synechococcus genome. In the present study, we functionally characterized the amsA gene that codes for an amylosucrase (AMS), a glycoside-hydrolase family 13 enzyme described in bacteria, which may catabolyze Suc in Synechococcus. Additionally, we identified and characterized the frkA gene that codes for a fructokinase (FRK), enzyme that yields fructose-6P, one of the substrates for Suc synthesis. Interestingly, we demonstrate that spsA, sppA, frkA and amsA are grouped in a transcriptional unit that were named Suc cluster, whose expression is increased in response to a salt treatment. This is the first report on the characterization of an AMS and FRK in an oxygenic photosynthetic microorganism, which could be associated with Suc metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Perez-Cenci
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC-CONICET) and Fundación para Investigaciones Biológicas Aplicadas (CIB-FIBA), Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Graciela L Salerno
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC-CONICET) and Fundación para Investigaciones Biológicas Aplicadas (CIB-FIBA), Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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Mustroph A, Hess N, Sasidharan R. Hypoxic Energy Metabolism and PPi as an Alternative Energy Currency. LOW-OXYGEN STRESS IN PLANTS 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-7091-1254-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Blank CE. Phylogenetic distribution of compatible solute synthesis genes support a freshwater origin for cyanobacteria. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2013; 49:880-895. [PMID: 27007313 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Accepted: 06/22/2013] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous work using ancestral state reconstruction of habitat salinity preference proposed that the early cyanobacteria likely lived in a freshwater environment. The aim of this study was to test that hypothesis by performing phylogenetic analyses of the genes underlying salinity preferences in the cyanobacteria. Phylogenetic analysis of compatible solute genes shows that sucrose synthesis genes were likely ancestral in the cyanobacteria, and were also likely inherited during the cyanobacterial endosymbiosis and into the photosynthetic algae and land plants. In addition, the genes for the synthesis of compatible solutes that are necessary for survival in marine and hypersaline environments (such as glucosylglycerol, glucosylglycerate, and glycine betaine) were likely acquired independently high up (i.e., more recently) in the cyanobacterial tree. Because sucrose synthesis is strongly associated with growth in a low salinity environment, this independently supports a freshwater origin for the cyanobacteria. It is also consistent with geologic evidence showing that the early oceans were much warmer and saltier than modern oceans-sucrose synthesis alone would have been insufficient for early cyanobacteria to have colonized early Precambrian oceans that had a higher ionic strength. Indeed, the acquisition of an expanded set of new compatible solute genes may have enabled the historical colonization of marine and hypersaline environments by cyanobacteria, midway through their evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrine E Blank
- Department of Geosciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive #1296, Missoula, Montana, 59812-1296, USA
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Martínez-Noël GM, Cumino AC, de los Angeles Kolman M, Salerno GL. First evidence of sucrose biosynthesis by single cyanobacterial bimodular proteins. FEBS Lett 2013; 587:1669-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2013.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Revised: 03/23/2013] [Accepted: 04/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Figueroa CM, Asención Diez MD, Kuhn ML, McEwen S, Salerno GL, Iglesias AA, Ballicora MA. The unique nucleotide specificity of the sucrose synthase from Thermosynechococcus elongatus. FEBS Lett 2012. [PMID: 23196182 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Sucrose synthase catalyzes the reversible conversion of sucrose and UDP into fructose and UDP-glucose. In filamentous cyanobacteria, the sucrose cleavage direction plays a key physiological function in carbon metabolism, nitrogen fixation, and stress tolerance. In unicellular strains, the function of sucrose synthase has not been elucidated. We report a detailed biochemical characterization of sucrose synthase from Thermosynechococcus elongatus after the gene was artificially synthesized for optimal expression in Escherichia coli. The homogeneous recombinant sucrose synthase was highly specific for ADP as substrate, constituting the first one with this unique characteristic, and strongly suggesting an interaction between sucrose and glycogen metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Figueroa
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (UNL-CONICET), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas (UNL), Ciudad Universitaria, S3000ZAA Santa Fe, Argentina
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González-Fernández C, Ballesteros M. Linking microalgae and cyanobacteria culture conditions and key-enzymes for carbohydrate accumulation. Biotechnol Adv 2012; 30:1655-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2012.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2012] [Revised: 07/05/2012] [Accepted: 07/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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