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Carve M, Manning T, Mouradov A, Shimeta J. eDNA metabarcoding reveals biodiversity and depth stratification patterns of dinoflagellate assemblages within the epipelagic zone of the western Coral Sea. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:38. [PMID: 38528460 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02220-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dinoflagellates play critical roles in the functioning of marine ecosystems but also may pose a hazard to human and ecosystem health by causing harmful algal blooms (HABs). The Coral Sea is a biodiversity hotspot, but its dinoflagellate assemblages in pelagic waters have not been studied by modern sequencing methods. We used metabarcoding of the 18 S rRNA V4 amplicon to assess the diversity and structure of dinoflagellate assemblages throughout the water column to a depth of 150 m at three stations in the Western Coral Sea. Additionally, at one station we compared metabarcoding with morphological methods to optimise identification and detection of dinoflagellates. RESULTS Stratification of dinoflagellate assemblages was evident in depth-specific relative abundances of taxonomic groups; the greatest difference was between the 5-30 m assemblages and the 130-150 m assemblages. The relative abundance of Dinophyceae (photosynthetic and heterotrophic) decreased with increasing depth, whereas that of Syndiniales (parasitic) increased with increasing depth. The composition of major taxonomic groups was similar among stations. Taxonomic richness and diversity of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were similar among depths and stations; however, the abundance of dominant taxa was highest within 0-30 m, and the abundance of rare taxa was highest within 130-150 m, indicating adaptations to specific depth strata. The number of unclassified ASVs at the family and species levels was very high, particularly for Syndinian representatives. CONCLUSIONS Dinoflagellate assemblages in open water of the Coral Sea are highly diverse and taxonomically stratified by depth; patterns of relative abundance along the depth gradient reflect environmental factors and ecological processes. Metabarcoding detects more species richness than does traditional microscopical methods of sample analysis, yet the methods are complementary, with morphological analysis revealing additional richness. The large number of unclassified dinoflagellate-ASVs indicates a need for improved taxonomic reference databases and suggests presence of dinoflagellate-crypto and-morphospecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Carve
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tahnee Manning
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Aidyn Mouradov
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jeff Shimeta
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates as a Bioassay for Toxicity Assessment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113012. [DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Dinoflagellates bioluminescence mechanism depends upon a luciferin–luciferase reaction that promotes blue light emission (480 nm) in specialized luminogenic organelles called scintillons. The scintillons contain luciferin, luciferase and, in some cases, a luciferin-binding protein (LBP), which prevents luciferin from non-enzymatic oxidation in vivo. Even though dinoflagellate bioluminescence has been studied since the 1950s, there is still a lack of mechanistic understanding on whether the light emission process involves a peroxidic intermediate or not. Still, bioassays employing luminous dinoflagellates, usually from Gonyaulax or Pyrocystis genus, can be used to assess the toxicity of metals or organic compounds. In these dinoflagellates, the response to toxicity is observed as a change in luminescence, which is linked to cellular respiration. As a result, these changes can be used to calculate a percentage of light inhibition that correlates directly with toxicity. This current approach, which lies in between fast bacterial assays and more complex toxicity tests involving vertebrates and invertebrates, can provide a valuable tool for detecting certain pollutants, e.g., metals, in marine sediment and seawater. Thus, the present review focuses on how the dinoflagellates bioluminescence can be applied to evaluate the risks caused by contaminants in the marine environment.
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Cusick KD, Widder EA. Bioluminescence and toxicity as driving factors in harmful algal blooms: Ecological functions and genetic variability. HARMFUL ALGAE 2020; 98:101850. [PMID: 33129462 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2020.101850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are an ecologically important group of marine microbial eukaryotes with a remarkable array of adaptive strategies. It is ironic that two of the traits for which dinoflagellates are best known, toxin production and bioluminescence, are rarely linked when considering the ecological significance of either. Although dinoflagellate species that form some of the most widespread and frequent harmful algal blooms (HABs) are bioluminescent, the molecular and eco-evolutionary associations between these two traits has received little attention. Here, the major themes of biochemistry and genetics, ecological functions, signaling mechanisms, and evolution are addressed, with parallels and connections drawn between the two. Of the 17 major classes of dinoflagellate toxins, only two are produced by bioluminescent species: saxitoxin (STX) and yessotoxin. Of these, STX has been extensively studied, including the identification of the STX biosynthetic genes. While numerous theories have been put forward as to the eco-evolutionary roles of both bioluminescence and toxicity, a general consensus is that both function as grazing deterrents. Thus, both bioluminescence and toxicity may aid in HAB initiation as they alleviate grazing pressure on the HAB species. A large gap in our understanding is the genetic variability among natural bloom populations, as both toxic and non-toxic strains have been isolated from the same geographic location. The same applies to bioluminescence, as there exist both bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent strains of the same species. Recent evidence demonstrating that blooms are not monoclonal events necessitates a greater level of understanding as to the genetic variability of these traits among sub-populations as well as the mechanisms by which cells acquire or lose the trait, as sequence analysis of STX+ and STX- species indicate the key gene required for toxicity is lost rather than gained. While the extent of genetic variability for both bioluminescence and toxicity among natural HAB sub-populations remains unknown, it is an area that needs to be explored in order to gain greater insights into the molecular mechanisms and environmental parameters driving HAB evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen D Cusick
- University of Maryland Baltimore County, Department of Biological Sciences, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States.
| | - Edith A Widder
- Ocean Research and Conservation Association, 1420 Seaway Dr, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, United States.
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Fajardo C, De Donato M, Rodulfo H, Martinez-Rodriguez G, Costas B, Mancera JM, Fernandez-Acero FJ. New Perspectives Related to the Bioluminescent System in Dinoflagellates: Pyrocystis lunula, a Case Study. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E1784. [PMID: 32150894 PMCID: PMC7084563 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrocystis lunula is considered a model organism due to its bioluminescence capacity linked to circadian rhythms. The mechanisms underlying the bioluminescent phenomenon have been well characterized in dinoflagellates; however, there are still some aspects that remain an enigma. Such is the case of the presence and diversity of the luciferin-binding protein (LBP), as well as the synthesis process of luciferin. Here we carry out a review of the literature in relation to the molecular players responsible for bioluminescence in dinoflagellates, with particular interest in P. lunula. We also carried out a phylogenetic analysis of the conservation of protein sequence, structure and evolutionary pattern of these key players. The basic structure of the luciferase (LCF) is quite conserved among the sequences reported to date for dinoflagellate species, but not in the case of the LBP, which has proven to be more variable in terms of sequence and structure. In the case of luciferin, its synthesis has been shown to be complex process with more than one metabolic pathway involved. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the P630 or blue compound, seem to be involved in this process. In the same way, various hypotheses regarding the role of bioluminescence in dinoflagellates are exposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Fajardo
- Microbiology Laboratory, Institute of Viticulture and Agri-food Research (IVAGRO), Environmental and Marine Sciences Faculty. University of Cadiz (UCA), 11510 Puerto Real, Spain;
| | - Marcos De Donato
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, 76130 Queretaro, Mexico; (M.D.D.); (H.R.)
| | - Hectorina Rodulfo
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, 76130 Queretaro, Mexico; (M.D.D.); (H.R.)
| | - Gonzalo Martinez-Rodriguez
- Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), Department of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 11519 Puerto Real, Spain;
| | - Benjamin Costas
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto (CIIMAR), 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal;
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS-UP), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Juan Miguel Mancera
- Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Biology Department, University of Cadiz (UCA), 11510 Puerto Real, Spain;
| | - Francisco Javier Fernandez-Acero
- Microbiology Laboratory, Institute of Viticulture and Agri-food Research (IVAGRO), Environmental and Marine Sciences Faculty. University of Cadiz (UCA), 11510 Puerto Real, Spain;
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Valiadi M, de Rond T, Amorim A, Gittins JR, Gubili C, Moore BS, Iglesias-Rodriguez MD, Latz MI. Molecular and biochemical basis for the loss of bioluminescence in the dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans along the west coast of the USA. LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY 2019; 64:2709-2724. [PMID: 32655189 PMCID: PMC7351363 DOI: 10.1002/lno.11309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The globally distributed heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans (Macartney) Kofoid & Swezy is well known for its dense blooms and prominent displays of bioluminescence. Intriguingly, along the west coast of the USA its blooms are not bioluminescent. We investigated the basis for the regional loss of bioluminescence using molecular, cellular and biochemical analyses of isolates from different geographic regions. Prominent differences of the non-bioluminescent strains were: (1) the fused luciferase and luciferin binding protein gene (lcf/lbp) was present but its transcripts were undetectable; (2) lcf/lbp contained multiple potentially deleterious mutations; (3) the substrate luciferin was absent, based on the lack of luciferin blue autofluorescence and the absence of luciferin derived metabolites; (4) although the cells possessed scintillons, the vesicles that contain the luminescent chemistry, electron microscopy revealed additional scintillon-like vesicles with an atypical internal structure; (5) cells isolated from the California coast were 43% smaller in size than bioluminescent cells from the Gulf of Mexico. Phylogenetic analyses based on the large subunit of rDNA did not show divergence of the non-bioluminescent population in relation to other bioluminescent N. scintillans from the Pacific Ocean and Arabian Sea. Our study demonstrates that gene silencing and the lack of the luciferin substrate have resulted in the loss of a significant dinoflagellate functional trait over large spatial scales in the ocean. As the bioluminescence system of dinoflagellates is well characterized, non-bioluminescent N. scintillans is an ideal model to explore the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that lead to intraspecific functional divergence in natural dinoflagellate populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Valiadi
- University of Southampton, Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
- Present address: University of Exeter, Living Systems Institute, Biosciences, UK
| | - Tristan de Rond
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Ana Amorim
- Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - John R Gittins
- University of Southampton, Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Chrysoula Gubili
- Hellenic Agricultural Organization, Fisheries Research Institute, Nea Peramos, Kavala, 64007, Macedonia, Greece
| | - Bradley S Moore
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - M Debora Iglesias-Rodriguez
- University of Southampton, Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
- Present address: University of California Santa Barbara, Department for Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Michael I Latz
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Fajardo C, Amil-Ruiz F, Fuentes-Almagro C, De Donato M, Martinez-Rodriguez G, Escobar-Niño A, Carrasco R, Mancera JM, Fernandez-Acero FJ. An “omic” approach to Pyrocystis lunula: New insights related with this bioluminescent dinoflagellate. J Proteomics 2019; 209:103502. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2019.103502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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