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Lord C, Haÿ V, Medjoubi K, Berland S, Keith P. Travelling in Microphis (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) Otoliths with Two-Dimensional X-ray Fluorescence Maps: Twists and Turns on the Road to Strontium Incorporation. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:446. [PMID: 38927326 PMCID: PMC11201212 DOI: 10.3390/biology13060446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Indo-Pacific tropical island streams are home to freshwater pipefish (Microphis spp., Syngnathidae). Otoliths were used to uncover life history traits in four species, including a New Caledonian endemic. All four species present the same methodological challenge: their otoliths are small, fragile and mute for growth marks using basic observation tools. Strontium (Sr) is calcium substituent in the mineral lattice, driven by salinity conditions, and thus useful to study diadromous migrations. Synchrotron-based scanning X-ray fluorescence 2D high-resolution mapping allowed us to tackle the global and hyperfine strontium (Sr) distribution. We developed analytical imaging processes to retrieve biological information from otoliths from the data generated via synchrotron analysis. We uncovered plasticity in the life cycle: all species were amphidromous, apart from some freshwater residents from New Caledonia. Understanding life cycle modalities is crucial to categorize species distribution limits and to implement adapted conservation measures, especially when endemic species are at stake. 2D fine-scale images outlined the heterogeneity of Sr distribution: in addition to the trivial Sr incorporation driven by environmental ionic conditions, there is an unusual mosaic arrangement of Sr distribution and we hypothesize that biological control, especially growth during the early life stages, may sometimes overrule stoichiometry. This shows that it is worth studying otolith formation and element integration at imbricated scales, and our methods and results provide a strong basis for future works and prospects in otolith science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Lord
- UMR 8067, Biologie Des Organismes Et Écosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Université de Caen Normandie, Université Des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, CP26, 43 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France; (V.H.); (S.B.); (P.K.)
| | - Vincent Haÿ
- UMR 8067, Biologie Des Organismes Et Écosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Université de Caen Normandie, Université Des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, CP26, 43 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France; (V.H.); (S.B.); (P.K.)
| | | | - Sophie Berland
- UMR 8067, Biologie Des Organismes Et Écosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Université de Caen Normandie, Université Des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, CP26, 43 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France; (V.H.); (S.B.); (P.K.)
| | - Philippe Keith
- UMR 8067, Biologie Des Organismes Et Écosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Université de Caen Normandie, Université Des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, CP26, 43 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France; (V.H.); (S.B.); (P.K.)
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Bordiga M, Lupi C, Langer G, Gianoncelli A, Birarda G, Pollastri S, Bonanni V, Bedolla DE, Vaccari L, Gariani G, Cerino F, Cabrini M, Beran A, Zuccotti M, Fiorentino G, Zanoni M, Garagna S, Cobianchi M, Di Giulio A. Unexpected silicon localization in calcium carbonate exoskeleton of cultured and fossil coccolithophores. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7417. [PMID: 37150777 PMCID: PMC10164752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34003-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Coccolithophores, marine calcifying phytoplankton, are important primary producers impacting the global carbon cycle at different timescales. Their biomineral structures, the calcite containing coccoliths, are among the most elaborate hard parts of any organism. Understanding the morphogenesis of coccoliths is not only relevant in the context of coccolithophore eco-physiology but will also inform biomineralization and crystal design research more generally. The recent discovery of a silicon (Si) requirement for crystal shaping in some coccolithophores has opened up a new avenue of biomineralization research. In order to develop a mechanistic understanding of the role of Si, the presence and localization of this chemical element in coccoliths needs to be known. Here, we document for the first time the uneven Si distribution in Helicosphaera carteri coccoliths through three synchrotron-based techniques employing X-ray Fluorescence and Infrared Spectromicroscopy. The enrichment of Si in specific areas of the coccoliths point to a targeted role of this element in the coccolith formation. Our findings mark a key step in biomineralization research because it opens the door for a detailed mechanistic understanding of the role Si plays in shaping coccolith crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Bordiga
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Via Auguste Piccard 54, 34151, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - C Lupi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - G Langer
- ICTA, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - A Gianoncelli
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
| | - G Birarda
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
| | - S Pollastri
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
| | - V Bonanni
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
| | - D E Bedolla
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
- AREA Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - L Vaccari
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
| | - G Gariani
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Strada Statale 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34049, Trieste-Basovizza, Italy
| | - F Cerino
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Via Auguste Piccard 54, 34151, Trieste, Italy
| | - M Cabrini
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Via Auguste Piccard 54, 34151, Trieste, Italy
| | - A Beran
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Via Auguste Piccard 54, 34151, Trieste, Italy
| | - M Zuccotti
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - G Fiorentino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - M Zanoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - S Garagna
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - M Cobianchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - A Di Giulio
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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Schmollinger S, Chen S, Merchant SS. Quantitative elemental imaging in eukaryotic algae. Metallomics 2023; 15:mfad025. [PMID: 37186252 PMCID: PMC10209819 DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfad025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
All organisms, fundamentally, are made from the same raw material, namely the elements of the periodic table. Biochemical diversity is achieved by how these elements are utilized, for what purpose, and in which physical location. Determining elemental distributions, especially those of trace elements that facilitate metabolism as cofactors in the active centers of essential enzymes, can determine the state of metabolism, the nutritional status, or the developmental stage of an organism. Photosynthetic eukaryotes, especially algae, are excellent subjects for quantitative analysis of elemental distribution. These microbes utilize unique metabolic pathways that require various trace nutrients at their core to enable their operation. Photosynthetic microbes also have important environmental roles as primary producers in habitats with limited nutrient supplies or toxin contaminations. Accordingly, photosynthetic eukaryotes are of great interest for biotechnological exploitation, carbon sequestration, and bioremediation, with many of the applications involving various trace elements and consequently affecting their quota and intracellular distribution. A number of diverse applications were developed for elemental imaging, allowing subcellular resolution, with X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM, XRF) being at the forefront, enabling quantitative descriptions of intact cells in a non-destructive method. This Tutorial Review summarizes the workflow of a quantitative, single-cell elemental distribution analysis of a eukaryotic alga using XFM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schmollinger
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Si Chen
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Sabeeha S Merchant
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Coccolith crystals: Pure calcite or organic-mineral composite structures? Acta Biomater 2021; 125:83-89. [PMID: 33631395 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The localization of organic material within biominerals is central to developing biomineral formation mechanisms. Coccoliths, morphologically sophisticated calcite platelets of intracellularly calcifying coccolithophores, are not only eco-physiologically important, but also influence biogeochemical cycles through mass production. Despite their importance and over a century of research, the formation mechanism of coccoliths is still poorly understood. Crucial unsolved questions include the localization of organic material within coccoliths. In extracellular calcifiers the discovery of an organics-containing nano-structure within seemingly single crystals has led to the formulation of a two-step crystallization mechanism. Coccoliths are traditionally thought of as being formed by a different mechanism, but it is unclear whether coccolith crystals possess a nano-structure. Here we review the evidence for and against such a nano-structure. Current SXPD analyses suggest a nano-structure of some kind, while imaging methods (SEM, TEM, AFM) provide evidence against it. We suggest directions for future research which should help solve this puzzle. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Coccolithophores, unicellular calcifying algae, are important primary producers and contribute significantly to pelagic calcium carbonate export. Their calcite platelets, the coccoliths, are amongst the most sophisticated biomineral structures. Understanding the crystallization mechanism of coccolith crystals is not only central to coccolithophore cell biology but also lies at the heart of biomineralization research more generally. The crystallization mechanism of coccoliths has remained largely elusive, not least because it is still an open question whether the micron sized coccolith crystals are pure calcite, or contain organic material. Here we review the state of the art and suggest a way to solve this central problem.
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