Growth inhibition and possible mechanism of oleamide against the toxin-producing cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa NIES-843

Metabolomic Profile of Salicornia perennis Plant's Organs under Diverse In Situ Stress: The Ria de Aveiro Salt Marshes Case

Salicornia perennis is a halophyte belonging to the botanical subfamily Salicornioideae that forms extensive perennial salt marsh patches. This subfamily has excellent potential, still unexplored, as a source of food, medicine, and phytoremediation. This study aimed to evaluate the lipophilic composition of the Salicornia perennis different organs inhabiting salt marshes of Ria de Aveiro under different stress regimes. For this purpose, the lipophilic content was extracted with hexane and subsequent GC-MS analysis of the extracts for each plant organ, which was collected in three different salt marshes of the Ria de Aveiro. High sugar content was detected in the stems, whereas in fruiting articles, the higher content was in fatty acids. Shorter-chain organic acids were concentrated in the stems and vegetative articles; waxes were detected in greater quantity in photosynthetic organs. More or less stressful environments induce changes in the ratio and composition of molecules, such as acclimatization and oxidative stress reduction strategies; for example, fatty acid content was higher in plants subjected to a higher stress regime. These data contribute to understand the metabolic pathways of the species under study, suggesting new research approaches to its potential as food, medicine, and phytoremediator.

Physiological Responses of a Diazotrophic Cyanobacterium to Acidification of Paddy Floodwater: N2 Fixation, Photosynthesis, and Oxidative-Antioxidative Characteristics

Long-term of excessive fertilization using nitrogen (N) chemical fertilizer caused the acidification of paddy soils. Presently, the impacts of soil acidification on physiological characteristics of diazotrophic cyanobacteria remain unknown. In order to elucidate this issue, the effects of paddy floodwater acidification on activities of respiration, photosynthetic oxygen evolution, and N₂ fixation of a paddy diazotrophic cyanobacterium Aliinostoc sp. YYLX235 were investigated in this study. In addition, the origination and quenching of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed. The acidification of paddy floodwater decreased intracellular pH and interfered in energy flux from light-harvesting chlorophyll antenna to the reaction center of photosystem II (PS II). Activities of respiration, photosynthetic oxygen evolution, and N₂ fixation were decreased by the acidification of paddy floodwater. Accompanied with an increase in ROS, the level of antioxidative system increased. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were the main enzymatic ROS scavengers in the cells of YYLX235; reduced glutathione (GSH) was the main non-enzymatic antioxidant. Antioxidants and oxidants in the cells of YYLX235 lost balance when the pH of paddy floodwater fell to 5.0 and 4.0, and lipid oxidative damage happened. The results presented in this study suggest that the acidification of paddy soil severely interfered in the photosynthesis of diazotrophic cyanobacteria and induced the production of ROS, which in turn resulted in oxidative damage on diazotrophic cyanobacteria and a decrease in cell vitality.

Comparison of Growth and Chemical Profile of Diatom Skeletonema grevillei in Bioreactor and Incubation-Shaking Cabinet in Two Growth Phases

Marine microalgae, diatoms, are considered a source of a wide range of high-value compounds, and numerous studies indicate their biotechnological potential in the food and feed industry, cosmetic industry, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical industry, biodiesel production, fertilizers, and wastewater treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the growth, chemical profiles, and antioxidant activity of the diatom Skeletonema grevillei cultivated in a bioreactor and an incubation-shaking cabinet at different growth phases (after 192 and 312 h). Growth was monitored by evaluating cell density with the Sedgewick Rafter chamber, and the collected biomass was extracted with 70% ethanol assisted by ultrasound. Extracts were evaporated to dryness and compounds were identified in derivatized form by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, while antioxidant capacity was evaluated by DPPH and ORAC. Significantly faster growth was observed in the bioreactor than in the incubation-shaking cabinet. Oleamide, palmitelaidic acid, glycerol monostearate, myristic acid, cholesterol, eicosapentaenoic acid, 1-monopalmitin, and 24-methylene cholesterol were identified as the major compounds in both systems. Among them, oleamide was the dominant compound in both systems. It is also shown that prolonging the cultivation period had a direct effect on increasing the extract yield. The highest DPPH inhibition (11.4 ± 1%) and ORAC values (93.3 ± 8.4 mM TE) were obtained for the S. grevillei extract recovered from the bioreactor after 312 h. The obtained results contribute to the possibility of using S. grevillei for various biotechnological applications in the future.

Inhibition Effect of Ionic Liquid [Hmim]Cl on Microcystis Growth and Toxin Production

Ionic liquids (ILs) are known as “green solvents” and widely used in industrial applications. However, little research has been conducted on cyanobacteria. This study was conducted to investigate the toxicity of ionic liquids ([Hmim]Cl) on Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806. The EC₅₀ (72 h) of [Hmim]Cl on the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 was 10.624 ± 0.221 mg L⁻¹. The possible mechanism of toxicity of [Hmim]Cl against M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 was evaluated by measuring cell growth, photosynthetic pigment contents, chlorophyll fluorescence transients, cell ultrastructure, and transcription of the microcystin-producing gene (mcyB). The concentrations of chlorophyll a and carotenoids were significantly reduced in treated M. aeruginosa cultures. The results of chlorophyll fluorescence transients showed that [Hmim]Cl could destruct the electron-accepting side of the photosystem II of M. aeruginosa PCC 7806. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated cell damage including changes in the structure of the cell wall and cell membrane, thylakoid destruction, and nucleoid disassembly. The transcription of the mcyB gene was also inhibited under [Hmim]Cl stress. In summary, this study provides new insights into the toxicity of [Hmim]Cl on cyanobactreia.

Antimicrobial activity and metabolite profiling of endophytic fungi in Digitaria bicornis (Lam) Roem. and Schult. and Paspalidium flavidum (Retz.) A. Camus

Endophytic fungal occurrences were studied in aerial regions of Digitaria bicornis and Paspalidium flavidum by three isolation methods: potato dextrose agar (PDA), malt extract agar (MEA), and moist blotters. Seventy species of 29 genera of endophytic fungi in D. bicornis and 71 species of 30 genera in P. flavidum were documented. Endophytic fungal communities were grouped into 40 and 43 anamorphic ascomycetes (21 and 23 genera) and 20 teleomorphic ascomycetes (6 and 7 genera) in D. bicornis and P. flavidum, respectively. PDA supported the expression of larger number of fungal communities than MEA and MB; and P. flavidum hosted more number of endophytic fungi than D. bicornis. Seasons played an important role in supporting the assemblage of fungal endophytes. Endophytic fungal species richness and assemblages in plant regions were determined for alpha, beta, and gamma diversities. The ethyl acetate followed by methanolic extracts of certain fungal species showed good antagonistic and antibacterial activities. Among fungal endophytes, Curvularia protuberata and Penicillium citrinum exhibited high antagonistic and antibacterial activities. The high-resolution orbitrap liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of ethyl acetate crude extracts of C. protuberata and P. citrinum revealed the presence of antifungal and antimicrobial, besides a host of compounds in the extracts. The present study indicated that grass endophytes are the sources of compounds with antimicrobial and other pharmacological activities.

Single Cell Oil (SCO)-Based Bioactive Compounds: I-Enzymatic Synthesis of Fatty Acid Amides Using SCOs as Acyl Group Donors and Their Biological Activities

Fatty acid amides (FAAs) are of great interest due to their broad industrial applications. They can be synthesized enzymatically with many advantages over chemical synthesis. In this study, the fatty acid moieties of lipids of Cunninghamella echinulata ATHUM 4411, Umbelopsis isabellina ATHUM 2935, Nannochloropsis gaditana CCAP 849/5, olive oil, and an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrate were converted into their fatty acid methyl esters and used in the FAA (i.e., ethylene diamine amides) enzymatic synthesis, using lipases as biocatalysts. The FAA synthesis, monitored using in situ NMR, FT-IR, and thin-layer chromatography, was catalyzed efficiently by the immobilized Candida rugosa lipase. The synthesized FAAs exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity, especially those containing oleic acid in high proportions (i.e., derived from olive oil and U. isabellina oil), against several human pathogenic microorganisms, insecticidal activity against yellow fever mosquito, especially those of C. echinulata containing gamma-linolenic acid, and anticancer properties against SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, especially those containing EPA in their structures (i.e., EPA concentrate and N. gaditana oil). We conclude that FAAs can be efficiently synthesized using microbial oils of different fatty acid composition and used in specific biological applications.

Bioremediation of water containing pesticides by microalgae: Mechanisms, methods, and prospects for future research

The application of pesticides reduces the loss of crops while simultaneously increasing crop productivity. However, the frequent use of pesticides can cause serious environmental problems due to their high accumulative and persistent nature. Recently, microalgae technology has received considerable success in the efficient treatment of pesticides pollution. In this review, the metabolic mechanisms responsible for the removal of pesticides are summarized based on previous studies. Different methods used to enhance the ability of microalgae to remove pesticides are critically evaluated. The recycling of microalgae biomass after wastewater treatment for biochar preparation and biodiesel production using the biorefinery approach is also introduced. Furthermore, we present potential future research directions to highlight the prospects of microalgae research in the removal of pesticides along with the production of value-added products.

An algicidal Streptomyces amritsarensis strain against Microcystis aeruginosa strongly inhibits microcystin synthesis simultaneously

Microcystis aeruginosa and hepatotoxic microcystins produced by it have posed a severe threat to aquatic ecological security and human health. In this study a Streptomyces amritsarensis HG-16, showing high algicidal activity against M. aeruginosa and strong inhibitory effect on microcystin synthesis, was obtained by screening some anti-Fusarium sp. microbial strains isolated before in our laboratory. HG-16 bound cyanobacterial cells by mycelia to form flocs and killed M. aeruginosa by secreting active substances, which were proteinase K resistant and stable in the temperature range of 35-75 °C and pH range of 3-11. HG-16 removed M. aeruginosa of 10⁵ and 10⁶ cell mL^-1 cell densities in similar rate and was active against all the tested harmful unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria. Results of differential gene expression analysis indicated that HG-16 affected the photosynthesis system and microcystin synthesis of M. aeruginosa. Accordingly, the algicidal activity of HG-16 was light-dependent, and microcystin synthesis of M. aeruginosa decreased by 91.2% with HG-16 treatment. Thus, it is promising to utilize HG-16 to mitigate harmful cyanobacterial blooms, inhibit microcystin synthesis and control plant disease caused by Fusarium.spp. through irrigating farmland with eutrophic water applied HG-16.