Lake viruses lyse cyanobacteria, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, enhances filamentous-host dispersal in Australia

Dynamics of the benthic and planktic microbiomes in a Planktothrix-dominated toxic cyanobacterial bloom in Australia

Cyanobacterial blooms are a concerning issue that threaten ecosystems, ecology and animal health. Bloom frequency has increased tremendously in recent times due to pollution, eutrophication of waterways, climate change, and changes in microbial community dynamics within the aquatic environment. Information about the spatiotemporal variation in microbial communities that drive a cyanobacterial bloom is very limited. Here, we analysed the spatiotemporal diversity and composition of bacterial communities, with a focus on cyanobacteria, during the bloom phase in a natural reservoir in Eastern Australia using high throughput amplicon sequencing. Sampling points and season had no influence on the richness and evenness of microbial communities during the bloom period, however some compositional differences were apparent across the seasons. Cyanobacteria were highly abundant during summer and autumn compared to winter and spring. The dominant cyanobacterial taxa were Planktothrix, Cyanobium and Microcystis and were found to be significantly abundant during summer and autumn. While cyanobacterial abundance soared in summer (25.4 %), dominated by Planktothrix (12.2 %) and Cyanobium (8.0 %), the diversity was highest in autumn (24.9 %) and consisted of Planktothrix (7.8 %), Nodularia (5.3 %), Planktothricoides (4.6 %), Microcystis (3.5 %), and Cyanobium (2.3 %). The strongly correlated non-photosynthetic Gastranaerophilales found in the sediment and water, suggested vertical transmission from the animal gut through faeces. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Planktothrix-driven toxic cyanobacterial bloom in Australia. Our study expands current understanding of the spatiotemporal variation in bacterial communities during a cyanobacterial bloom and sheds light on setting future management strategies for its control.

Tradeoffs between phage resistance and nitrogen fixation drive the evolution of genes essential for cyanobacterial heterocyst functionality

Harmful blooms caused by diazotrophic (nitrogen-fixing) Cyanobacteria are becoming increasingly frequent and negatively impact aquatic environments worldwide. Cyanophages (viruses infecting Cyanobacteria) can potentially regulate cyanobacterial blooms, yet Cyanobacteria can rapidly acquire mutations that provide protection against phage infection. Here, we provide novel insights into cyanophage:Cyanobacteria interactions by characterizing the resistance to phages in two species of diazotrophic Cyanobacteria: Nostoc sp. and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. Our results demonstrate that phage resistance is associated with a fitness tradeoff by which resistant Cyanobacteria have reduced ability to fix nitrogen and/or to survive nitrogen starvation. Furthermore, we use whole-genome sequence analysis of 58 Nostoc-resistant strains to identify several mutations associated with phage resistance, including in cell surface-related genes and regulatory genes involved in the development and function of heterocysts (cells specialized in nitrogen fixation). Finally, we employ phylogenetic analyses to show that most of these resistance genes are accessory genes whose evolution is impacted by lateral gene transfer events. Together, these results further our understanding of the interplay between diazotrophic Cyanobacteria and their phages and suggest that a tradeoff between phage resistance and nitrogen fixation affects the evolution of cell surface-related genes and of genes involved in heterocyst differentiation and nitrogen fixation.

The toxic cosmopolitan cyanobacteria Moorena producens: insights into distribution, ecophysiology and toxicity

Moorena producens is a benthic filamentous cyanobacteria that has been widely documented for its toxicity. This cyanobacterium colonizes both temperate (37%) and tropical (63%) regions, making it a cosmopolitan cyanobacterium with a global distribution. M. producens grows across coral reefs in multiple locations but recurringly blooms in Queensland, Australia. Today, nuisance blooms of M. producens have resulted in major disruptions to recreational activities along coastal areas and are known to cause adverse effects on organism and human health upon contact or ingestion. Specifically, marine organisms such as the green turtle Chelonia mydas and hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata were fatally poisoned by M. producens after consumption of this cyanobacterium. Reports record a range of effects on human health, from pain and blistering or even death upon ingestion of contaminated seafood. Blooms of M. producens are triggered by influxes of nitrogen, phosphate and iron, from surrounding coastal runoffs or sewage effluents. Additions of these nutrients can result in an increase in growth rate by 4-16 times. Iron bioavailability also plays a crucial role in bloom formation. A total of 231 natural products from 66 groups were identified from M. producens, with the three dominant groups: malyngamides, microcolins and dolastatins. These bioactive secondary metabolites have displayed toxicities against a range of carcinoma cell lines and organisms such as brine shrimp Artemia salina and goldfish Carassius auratus. This review provides a thorough insight to the distribution, ecophysiology and toxicity of M. producens, with reports on bloom events and implications on organism and human health.

To Die or Not to Die—Regulated Cell Death and Survival in Cyanobacteria

Regulated cell death (RCD) is central to the development, integrity, and functionality of multicellular organisms. In the last decade, evidence has accumulated that RCD is a universal phenomenon in all life domains. Cyanobacteria are of specific interest due to their importance in aquatic and terrestrial habitats and their role as primary producers in global nutrient cycling. Current knowledge on cyanobacterial RCD is based mainly on biochemical and morphological observations, often by methods directly transferred from vertebrate research and with limited understanding of the molecular genetic basis. However, the metabolism of different cyanobacteria groups relies on photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, whereas mitochondria are the central executioner of cell death in vertebrates. Moreover, cyanobacteria chosen as biological models in RCD studies are mainly colonial or filamentous multicellular organisms. On the other hand, unicellular cyanobacteria have regulated programs of cellular survival (RCS) such as chlorosis and post-chlorosis resuscitation. The co-existence of different genetically regulated programs in cyanobacterial populations may have been a top engine in life diversification. Development of cyanobacteria-specific methods for identification and characterization of RCD and wider use of single-cell analysis combined with intelligent image-based cell sorting and metagenomics would shed more light on the underlying molecular mechanisms and help us to address the complex colonial interactions during these events. In this review, we focus on the functional implications of RCD in cyanobacterial communities.

A Review of Cyanophage–Host Relationships: Highlighting Cyanophages as a Potential Cyanobacteria Control Strategy

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are naturally occurring phenomena, and cyanobacteria are the most commonly occurring HABs in freshwater systems. Cyanobacteria HABs (cyanoHABs) negatively affect ecosystems and drinking water resources through the production of potent toxins. Furthermore, the frequency, duration, and distribution of cyanoHABs are increasing, and conditions that favor cyanobacteria growth are predicted to increase in the coming years. Current methods for mitigating cyanoHABs are generally short-lived and resource-intensive, and have negative impacts on non-target species. Cyanophages (viruses that specifically target cyanobacteria) have the potential to provide a highly specific control strategy with minimal impacts on non-target species and propagation in the environment. A detailed review (primarily up to 2020) of cyanophage lifecycle, diversity, and factors influencing infectivity is provided in this paper, along with a discussion of cyanophage and host cyanobacteria relationships for seven prominent cyanoHAB-forming genera in North America, including: Synechococcus, Microcystis, Dolichospermum, Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis, Planktothrix, and Lyngbya. Lastly, factors affecting the potential application of cyanophages as a cyanoHAB control strategy are discussed, including efficacy considerations, optimization, and scalability for large-scale applications.

Growth characteristics of lytic cyanophages newly isolated from the Nakdong River, Korea

Cyanophages are primary regulators of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs), and they control host cyanobacterial dynamics, frequency, and diversity in the aquatic environment. This study deals with growth characteristics of three lytic cyanophages, Myoviridae AGM-1, Myoviridae NGM-1, and Podoviridae NDP-1, newly isolated from the Nakdong River in South Korea. These isolates are capable of infecting Amazoninema brasiliense, Nododsilinea nodulosa, and Nostoc sp. The results showed that abiotic parameters such as water temperature and pH balance significantly affect the growth of a cyanophage and the interaction with its host in the aquatic environment. The optimal growth conditions of the newly isolated cyanophages are less than 37 °C and pH 9, whereas optimal conditions are 25-30 °C and pH 7 for the cyanobacteria used as hosts. However, each cyanophage was found to have significantly different growth characteristics in phage titer, latent period, and burst size, depending on the characteristics of the species. Among the three cyanophages, Podoviridae NDP-1 showed the highest burst size and infection activity. The lower the designed multiplicity of infection (MOI) ratio (0.01 to 10), the longer it takes to lyse the host cells. The minimum MOI value for sustainable biocontrol of CyanoHABs is proposed as MOI=1. These results can be used as basic information in further studies, such as pyophage control of CyanoHABs and enrichment of cyanophages with high activity.

Biotic control of harmful algal blooms (HABs): A brief review

The water bodies, mainly coastal and lake, remain tainted worldwide, mostly because of the Cyanobacteria harbored in Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The main reason for the flourishing of blooms depends on the eutrophication. Blooms could be toxic as well as non-toxic, depending on the bloom-forming species. The blooms affect the water body, aquatic ecosystem and also dependents like human. A large number of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, fish and zooplankton have adverse effects on Cyanobacteria either through infection, predation or by the production of the algicidal compounds. It was reported, these microorganisms have species-specific interactions and hence differ in their interaction mechanism. The present review emphasises on the role of selected microbial species and the mechanism they follow for mitigation of HABs. Generally lab-scale entities were reported to involve lytic agents, like cyanobacteriolytic substances, released by bacteria. Cyanobacterial species release Cyanotoxins which may affect the water quality. Growing biotic factors in a large quantity and discharging it into the water-body needs excessive efficacy and economic requisite and hence the feasibility of extrapolation of the laboratory results in the field still finds promiscuity towards mitigation of HABs.

Application of N-TiO2 for visible-light photocatalytic degradation of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - More difficult than that for photodegradation of Microcystis aeruginosa ?

Nowadays Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (C. raciborskii) and the metabolites produced, such as cylindrospermopsin (CYN), pose a serious threat to the ecosystem. Advanced oxidation technologies have been verified as constituting a very promising means to eliminate the risk from harmful algae. But so far little research has focused on the visible-light photocatalytic destruction of C. raciborskii cells and the degradation of their metabolites. In our study, N-doped TiO₂ (N-TiO₂) was used to degrade C. raciborskii and the degradation was compared with that of the Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa). Results showed that although the photodegradation of C. raciborskii was more difficult than that of M. aeruginosa, the treatment with N-TiO₂ was still satisfactory. After adding 200 mg/L N-TiO₂, C. raciborskii cells (5 × 10⁶ cells/mL) were completely destroyed within 20 h under visible light irradiation, and nearly 90% of the organic matter and CYN in the suspensions were also degraded, thereby markedly improving the water quality. The photocatalytic process starts with damage to the cell membrane resulting in the leakage of internal components. Subsequently, the leaked metabolites were oxidised by the reactive oxidizing species produced by N-TiO₂. Thus, the application of N-TiO₂ is a promising method for the treatment of C. raciborskii.

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii Virus and host: genomic characterization and ecological relevance

Cylindrospermopsis (Raphidiopsis) raciborskii is an invasive, filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that forms frequent blooms in freshwater habitats. While viruses play key roles in regulating the abundance, production and diversity of their hosts in aquatic ecosystems, the role(s) of viruses in the ecology of C. raciborskii is almost unexplored. Progress in this field has been hindered by the absence of a characterized virus-host system in C. raciborskii. To bridge this gap, we sequenced the genome of CrV-01T, a previously isolated cyanosiphovirus, and its host, C. raciborskii strain Cr2010. Analyses suggest that CrV-01T represents a distinct clade of siphoviruses infecting, and perhaps lysogenizing, filamentous cyanobacteria. Its genome contains unique features that include an intact CRISPR array and a 12 kb inverted duplication. Evidence suggests CrV-01T recently gained the ability to infect Cr2010 and recently lost the ability to form lysogens. The cyanobacterial host contains a CRISPR-Cas system with CRISPR spacers matching protospacers within the inverted duplication of the CrV-01T genome. Examination of metagenomes demonstrates that viruses with high genetic identity to CrV-01T, but lacking the inverted duplication, are present in C. raciborskii blooms in Australia. The unique genomic features of the CrV/Cr2010 system offers opportunities to investigate in more detail virus-host interactions in an ecologically important bloom-forming cyanobacterium.

Spatial and temporal changes of parasitic chytrids of cyanobacteria

Parasitism is certainly one of the most important driving biotic factors of cyanobacterial blooms which remains largely understudied. Among these parasites, fungi from the phylum Chytridiomycota (i.e. chytrids) are the only eukaryotic microorganisms infecting cyanobacteria. Here, we address spatiotemporal dynamics of the cyanobacterial host Dolichospermum macrosporum (syn. Anabaena macrospora) and its associated chytrid parasites, Rhizosiphon spp., in an eutrophic lake by studying spatial (vertical, horizontal) and temporal (annual and inter-annual) variations. Our results show homogenous chytrid infection patterns along the water column and across sampling stations. However, the prevalence of infection presented drastic changes with time, at both intra- and inter-annual scales. In 2007, a maximum of 98% of vegetative cells were infected by R. crassum whereas this fungal species was not reported seven years later. In opposite, R. akinetum, a chytrid infecting only akinetes, increased its prevalence by 42% during the same period. High chytrid infection rate on the akinetes might have sizeable consequences on host recruitment (and proliferation) success from year to year, as supported by the recorded inter-annual host dynamics (affecting also the success of other chytrid parasites). The spatial homogenous chytrid infection on this cyanobacterium, coupled to both seasonal and inter-annual changes indicates that time, rather than space, controls such highly dynamic host-parasite relationships.

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii: review of the distribution, phylogeography, and ecophysiology of a global invasive species

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a cyanobacterial species extensively studied for its toxicity, bloom formation and invasiveness potential, which have consequences to public and environmental health. Its current geographical distribution, spanning different climates, suggests that C. raciborskii has acquired the status of a cosmopolitan species. From phylogeography studies, a tropical origin for this species seems convincing, with different conjectural routes of expansion toward temperate climates. This expansion may be a result of the species physiological plasticity, or of the existence of different ecotypes with distinct environmental requirements. In particular, C. raciborskii is known to tolerate wide temperature and light regimes and presents diverse nutritional strategies. This cyanobacterium is also thought to have benefited from climate change conditions, regarding its invasiveness into temperate climates. Other factors, recently put forward, such as allelopathy, may also be important to its expansion. The effect of C. raciborskii in the invaded communities is still mostly unknown but may strongly disturb species diversity at different trophic levels. In this review we present an up-to-date account of the distribution, phylogeography, ecophysiology, as well some preliminary reports of the impact of C. raciborskii in different organisms.

Fungal parasitism: life cycle, dynamics and impact on cyanobacterial blooms

Many species of phytoplankton are susceptible to parasitism by fungi from the phylum Chytridiomycota (i.e. chytrids). However, few studies have reported the effects of fungal parasites on filamentous cyanobacterial blooms. To investigate the missing components of bloom ecosystems, we examined an entire field bloom of the cyanobacterium Anabaena macrospora for evidence of chytrid infection in a productive freshwater lake, using a high resolution sampling strategy. A. macrospora was infected by two species of the genus Rhizosiphon which have similar life cycles but differed in their infective regimes depending on the cellular niches offered by their host. R. crassum infected both vegetative cells and akinetes while R. akinetum infected only akinetes. A tentative reconstruction of the developmental stages suggested that the life cycle of R. crassum was completed in about 3 days. The infection affected 6% of total cells (and 4% of akinètes), spread over a maximum of 17% of the filaments of cyanobacteria, in which 60% of the cells could be parasitized. Furthermore, chytrids may reduce the length of filaments of Anabaena macrospora significantly by “mechanistic fragmentation” following infection. All these results suggest that chytrid parasitism is one of the driving factors involved in the decline of a cyanobacteria blooms, by direct mortality of parasitized cells and indirectly by the mechanistic fragmentation, which could weaken the resistance of A. macrospora to grazing.

Temperature-dependent dispersal strategies of Aphanizomenon ovalisporum (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria): implications for the annual life cycle

Aphanizomenon ovalisporum is a planktonic nostocalean cyanobacterium with increasing research interest due to its ability to produce the potent cytotoxin cylindrospermopsin and its potential invasiveness under the global warming scenario. The present study provides novel data on the potential dispersal strategies of A. ovalisporum by analyzing the influence of temperature (10-40 °C) on akinete differentiation and cell morphometry in cultures of A. ovalisporum UAM 290 isolated from a Spanish pond. Our results confirmed a temperature-dependent akinete differentiation, with the maximum akinete production reached at 20 °C (15 % of the cells), a low basal production at 25-30 °C (<0.4 % of the cells) and no detectable production at 35 °C. Furthermore, we reported the fragmentation of A. ovalisporum filaments at temperatures of 25 °C and above. Additionally, we observed that the morphology of vegetative cells varied under different temperature scenarios. Indeed, a strong negative correlation was found between temperature and the width, length and biovolume of vegetative cells, whereas akinete dimensions remained stable along the temperature gradient. Therefore, linear regressions between temperature and the cell size parameters are herein presented aiming to facilitate the identification of A. ovalisporum in the field throughout the course of the year. This is the first study evidencing that akinete production is triggered by temperatures between 20 and 25 °C in A. ovalisporum and reporting the existence of filament fragmentation as a potential dispersal strategy of this species. The importance of these findings for understanding the annual life cycle and invasive potential of A. ovalisporum is further discussed herein.

FACTORS RELATED TO THE DOMINANCE OF CYLINDROSPERMOPSIS RACIBORSKII (CYANOBACTERIA) IN A SHALLOW POND IN NORTHERN TAIWAN(1)

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton was investigated in a shallow pond in northern Taiwan from August 2009 to January 2011, with particular reference to the dynamics of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Woloszynska) Seenayya et Subba Raju. The abundances of the representative species in the pond increased during high-temperature seasons, whereas only C. raciborskii became dominant in the pond from summer to autumn in both 2009 and 2010. The high shade tolerance of C. raciborskii was likely one of the factors that enabled the cyanobacterium to grow during the summer when the transparency was low. Moreover, the heterocyst production of C. raciborskii was enhanced during summer when the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen was low, implying that nitrogen fixation also played an important role in supporting the growth of C. raciborskii. Autumnal rainfall was a critical factor in the collapse of C. raciborskii blooms. C. raciborskii formed blooms with relatively small trichomes, whereas larger trichomes dominated during winter. The dependence of the trade-off between growth rate and trichome size on temperature was assumed to be an adaptation strategy of C. raciborskii.

Environmental influences on virus-host interactions in an Australian subtropical reservoir

Viral and prokaryotic interactions in freshwaters have been investigated worldwide but there are few temporal studies in the tropics and none in the sub-tropics. In this 10-month study, we examined temporal changes in virus-host interactions and viral life cycles (lytic versus lysogenic) in relation to the prevailing environmental conditions in a subtropical water reservoir (Wivenhoe) in southeast Queensland, Australia. Heterotrophic prokaryotes and picocyanobacteria were positively correlated with concentrations of viruses throughout the study, indicating the presence of both bacteriophages and cyanophages in the reservoir. The percentage of heterotrophic prokaryotes and picocyanobacteria containing intracellular viruses (FVIC) ranged between 0.2% and 2.4% and did not vary significantly over the 10-month study, whereas lysogenic heterotrophic prokaryotes were only detected in the drier months of June and July. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the oxidative-reduction potential (ORP) of the water reservoir influenced the concentrations of viruses, heterotrophic prokaryotes and picocyanobacteria significantly, with low ORP offering a favourable environment for these components. There was a negative relationship between FVIC and rainfall suggesting the associated run-off altered virus-host interactions. Overall, our study provides novel information and inferences on how virus-host interactions in subtropical freshwaters might respond to changes in precipitation predicted to occur with global climate change.