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Gan Q, Zheng H, Li X, Li J, Ma J, Zhang Y, Han J, Zhang L, Zhou W, Lu Y. Solving the Jigsaw puzzle of phytosterol diversity by a novel sterol methyltransferase from Zea mays. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 240:106498. [PMID: 38447903 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Phytosterols are vital structural and regulatory components in plants. Zea mays produces a series of phytosterols that are specific to corn. However, the underline biosynthetic mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we identified a novel sterol methyltransferase from Z. mays (ZmSMT1-2) which showed a unique feature compared with documented plant SMTs. ZmSMT1-2 showed a substrate preference for cycloartenol. Using S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) as a donor, ZmSMT1-2 converted cycloartenol into alkylated sterols with unique side-chain architectures, including Δ25(27) (i.e., cyclolaudenol and cycloneolitsol) and Δ24(25) (i.e., cyclobranol) sterols. Cycloneolitsol is identified as a product of SMTs for the first time. Our discovery provides a previously untapped mechanism for phytosterol biosynthesis and adds another layer of diversity of sterol biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinhua Gan
- School of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Engineering & Research Center of Marine Bioactives and Bioproducts of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; Haikou Technology Innovation Center for Research and Utilization of Algal Bioresources, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Haifeng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Xinyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Jing Li
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Jingxue Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Engineering & Research Center of Marine Bioactives and Bioproducts of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; Haikou Technology Innovation Center for Research and Utilization of Algal Bioresources, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Yuji Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Jiakun Han
- Jining Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jining 272031, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Shandong Rongchen Pharmaceuticals Inc, Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Wenxu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia.
| | - Yandu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Engineering & Research Center of Marine Bioactives and Bioproducts of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; Haikou Technology Innovation Center for Research and Utilization of Algal Bioresources, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China.
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2
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Yoshioka Y, Chiu YL, Uchida T, Yamashita H, Suzuki G, Shinzato C. Genes possibly related to symbiosis in early life stages of Acropora tenuis inoculated with Symbiodinium microadriaticum. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1027. [PMID: 37853100 PMCID: PMC10584924 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05350-8] [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: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the ecological importance of mutualism between reef-building corals and symbiotic algae (Family Symbiodiniaceae), various transcriptomic studies on coral-algal symbiosis have been performed; however, molecular mechanisms, especially genes essential to initiate and maintain these symbioses remain unknown. We investigated transcriptomic responses of Acropora tenuis to inoculation with the native algal symbiont, Symbiodinium microadriaticum, during early life stages, and identified possible symbiosis-related genes. Genes involved in immune regulation, protection against oxidative stress, and metabolic interactions between partners are particularly important for symbiosis during Acropora early life stages. In addition, molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that some possible symbiosis-related genes originated by gene duplication in the Acropora lineage, suggesting that gene duplication may have been the driving force to establish stable mutualism in Acropora, and that symbiotic molecular mechanisms may vary among coral lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Yoshioka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan.
| | - Yi-Ling Chiu
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Taiga Uchida
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yamashita
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Go Suzuki
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Chuya Shinzato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
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3
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Gu J, Xiao Y, Wu M, Wang A, Cui X, Xin Y, Paithoonrangsarid K, Lu Y. Artificial switches induce the bespoke production of functional compounds in marine microalgae Chlorella by neutralizing CO 2. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2023; 16:143. [PMID: 37759320 PMCID: PMC10537470 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02381-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
To improve the CO2 tolerance of a marine microalga Chlorella sp. of which the production capacity has been demonstrated industrially, a mutant library was created and a strain hct53 was screened. Compared to the parental strain, hct53 shows a high CO2 capture capacity, while starch biosynthesis is compromised, with increases in health beneficial metabolites and antioxidant capacity. Global gene expression and genome-wide mutation distribution revealed that transcript choreography was concomitant with more active CO2 sequestration, an increase in the lipid synthesis, and a decrease in the starch and protein synthesis. These results suggest that artificial trait improvement via mutagenesis, couple with multiomics analysis, helps discover genetic switches that induce the bespoke conversion of carbon flow from "redundant metabolites" to valuable ones for functional food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Gu
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Yuan Xiao
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Mingcan Wu
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Aoqi Wang
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xinyu Cui
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Yi Xin
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Kalyanee Paithoonrangsarid
- Biochemical Engineering and Systems Biology Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Yandu Lu
- Single-cell BioEngineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiotechnology, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
- Haikou Technology Innovation Center for Research and Utilization of Algal Bioresources, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
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4
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Roussel A, Mériot V, Jauffrais T, Berteaux-Lecellier V, Lebouvier N. OMICS Approaches to Assess Dinoflagellate Responses to Chemical Stressors. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1234. [PMID: 37759633 PMCID: PMC10525455 DOI: 10.3390/biology12091234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are important primary producers known to form Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs). In water, nutrient availability, pH, salinity and anthropogenic contamination constitute chemical stressors for them. The emergence of OMICs approaches propelled our understanding of dinoflagellates' responses to stressors. However, in dinoflagellates, these approaches are still biased, as transcriptomic approaches are largely conducted compared to proteomic and metabolomic approaches. Furthermore, integrated OMICs approaches are just emerging. Here, we report recent contributions of the different OMICs approaches to the investigation of dinoflagellates' responses to chemical stressors and discuss the current challenges we need to face to push studies further despite the lack of genomic resources available for dinoflagellates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Roussel
- ISEA, EA7484, Campus de Nouville, Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie, Noumea 98851, New Caledonia; (A.R.); (V.M.)
| | - Vincent Mériot
- ISEA, EA7484, Campus de Nouville, Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie, Noumea 98851, New Caledonia; (A.R.); (V.M.)
- Ifremer, IRD, CNRS, Univ. de la Réunion, Univ. de la Nouvelle Calédonie, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, Noumea 98897, New Caledonia;
| | - Thierry Jauffrais
- Ifremer, IRD, CNRS, Univ. de la Réunion, Univ. de la Nouvelle Calédonie, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, Noumea 98897, New Caledonia;
| | - Véronique Berteaux-Lecellier
- CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Univ. de la Réunion, Univ. de la Nouvelle Calédonie, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, Noumea 98897, New Caledonia;
| | - Nicolas Lebouvier
- ISEA, EA7484, Campus de Nouville, Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie, Noumea 98851, New Caledonia; (A.R.); (V.M.)
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Mohamed AR, Ochsenkühn MA, Kazlak AM, Moustafa A, Amin SA. The coral microbiome: towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of coral-microbiota interactions. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad005. [PMID: 36882224 PMCID: PMC10045912 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Corals live in a complex, multipartite symbiosis with diverse microbes across kingdoms, some of which are implicated in vital functions, such as those related to resilience against climate change. However, knowledge gaps and technical challenges limit our understanding of the nature and functional significance of complex symbiotic relationships within corals. Here, we provide an overview of the complexity of the coral microbiome focusing on taxonomic diversity and functions of well-studied and cryptic microbes. Mining the coral literature indicate that while corals collectively harbour a third of all marine bacterial phyla, known bacterial symbionts and antagonists of corals represent a minute fraction of this diversity and that these taxa cluster into select genera, suggesting selective evolutionary mechanisms enabled these bacteria to gain a niche within the holobiont. Recent advances in coral microbiome research aimed at leveraging microbiome manipulation to increase coral's fitness to help mitigate heat stress-related mortality are discussed. Then, insights into the potential mechanisms through which microbiota can communicate with and modify host responses are examined by describing known recognition patterns, potential microbially derived coral epigenome effector proteins and coral gene regulation. Finally, the power of omics tools used to study corals are highlighted with emphasis on an integrated host-microbiota multiomics framework to understand the underlying mechanisms during symbiosis and climate change-driven dysbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin R Mohamed
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Michael A Ochsenkühn
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed M Kazlak
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Moustafa
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Department of Biology, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Shady A Amin
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
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6
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Adaptive Responses of the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa to the Interaction of Acidification and Global Warming. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12172259. [PMID: 36077978 PMCID: PMC9454579 DOI: 10.3390/ani12172259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean acidification and warming are two of the most important threats to the existence of marine organisms and are predicted to co-occur in oceans. The present work evaluated the effects of acidification (AC: 24 ± 0.1 °C and 900 μatm CO2), warming (WC: 30 ± 0.1 °C and 450 μatm CO2), and their combination (CC: 30 ± 0.1 °C and 900 μatm CO2) on the sea anemone, Heteractis crispa, from the aspects of photosynthetic apparatus (maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PS II), chlorophyll level, and Symbiodiniaceae density) and sterol metabolism (cholesterol content and total sterol content). In a 15-day experiment, acidification alone had no apparent effect on the photosynthetic apparatus, but did affect sterol levels. Upregulation of their chlorophyll level is an important strategy for symbionts to adapt to high partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). However, after warming stress, the benefits of high pCO2 had little effect on stress tolerance in H. crispa. Indeed, thermal stress was the dominant driver of the deteriorating health of H. crispa. Cholesterol and total sterol contents were significantly affected by all three stress conditions, although there was no significant change in the AC group on day 3. Thus, cholesterol or sterol levels could be used as important indicators to evaluate the impact of climate change on cnidarians. Our findings suggest that H. crispa might be relatively insensitive to the impact of ocean acidification, whereas increased temperature in the future ocean might impair viability of H. crispa.
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7
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Zhou W, Zhang X, Wang A, Yang L, Gan Q, Yi L, Summons RE, Volkman JK, Lu Y. Widespread Sterol Methyltransferase Participates in the Biosynthesis of Both C4α- and C4β-Methyl Sterols. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:9023-9032. [PMID: 35561259 PMCID: PMC9136925 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The 4-methyl steranes
serve as molecular fossils and are used for
studying both eukaryotic evolution and geological history. The occurrence
of 4α-methyl steranes in sediments has long been considered
evidence of products of partial demethylation mediated by sterol methyl
oxidases (SMOs), while 4β-methyl steranes are attributed entirely
to diagenetic generation from 4α-methyl steroids since possible
biological sources of their precursor 4β-methyl sterols are
unknown. Here, we report a previously unknown C4-methyl sterol biosynthetic
pathway involving a sterol methyltransferase rather than the SMOs.
We show that both C4α- and C4β-methyl sterols are end
products of the sterol biosynthetic pathway in an endosymbiont of
reef corals, Breviolum minutum, while
this mechanism exists not only in dinoflagellates but also in eukaryotes
from alveolates, haptophytes, and aschelminthes. Our discovery provides
a previously untapped route for the generation of C4-methyl steranes
and overturns the paradigm that all 4β-methyl steranes are diagenetically
generated from the 4α isomers. This may facilitate the interpretation
of molecular fossils and understanding of the evolution of eukaryotic
life in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Aoqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Lin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Qinhua Gan
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Liang Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Roger E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - John K Volkman
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Yandu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
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8
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Morgan MB, Ross J, Ellwanger J, Phrommala RM, Youngblood H, Qualley D, Williams J. Sea Anemones Responding to Sex Hormones, Oxybenzone, and Benzyl Butyl Phthalate: Transcriptional Profiling and in Silico Modelling Provide Clues to Decipher Endocrine Disruption in Cnidarians. Front Genet 2022; 12:793306. [PMID: 35087572 PMCID: PMC8787064 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.793306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Endocrine disruption is suspected in cnidarians, but questions remain how occurs. Steroid sex hormones are detected in corals and sea anemones even though these animals do not have estrogen receptors and their repertoire of steroidogenic enzymes appears to be incomplete. Pathways associated with sex hormone biosynthesis and sterol signaling are an understudied area in cnidarian biology. The objective of this study was to identify a suite of genes that can be linked to exposure of endocrine disruptors. Exaiptasia diaphana were exposed to nominal 20ppb concentrations of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), cholesterol, oxybenzone (BP-3), or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) for 4 h. Eleven genes of interest (GOIs) were chosen from a previously generated EST library. The GOIs are 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases type 14 (17β HSD14) and type 12 (17β HSD12), Niemann-Pick C type 2 (NPC2), Equistatin (EI), Complement component C3 (C3), Cathepsin L (CTSL), Patched domain-containing protein 3 (PTCH3), Smoothened (SMO), Desert Hedgehog (DHH), Zinc finger protein GLI2 (GLI2), and Vitellogenin (VTG). These GOIs were selected because of functional associations with steroid hormone biosynthesis; cholesterol binding/transport; immunity; phagocytosis; or Hedgehog signaling. Quantitative Real-Time PCR quantified expression of GOIs. In silico modelling utilized protein structures from Protein Data Bank as well as creating protein structures with SWISS-MODEL. Results show transcription of steroidogenic enzymes, and cholesterol binding/transport proteins have similar transcription profiles for E2, T, and cholesterol treatments, but different profiles when BP-3 or BBP is present. C3 expression can differentiate between exposures to BP-3 versus BBP as well as exposure to cholesterol versus sex hormones. In silico modelling revealed all ligands (E2, T, cholesterol, BBP, and BP-3) have favorable binding affinities with 17β HSD14, 17β HSD12, NPC2, SMO, and PTCH proteins. VTG expression was down-regulated in the sterol treatments but up-regulated in BP-3 and BBP treatments. In summary, these eleven GOIs collectively generate unique transcriptional profiles capable of discriminating between the five chemical exposures used in this investigation. This suite of GOIs are candidate biomarkers for detecting transcriptional changes in steroidogenesis, gametogenesis, sterol transport, and Hedgehog signaling. Detection of disruptions in these pathways offers new insight into endocrine disruption in cnidarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Morgan
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
| | - James Ross
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Joseph Ellwanger
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
| | | | - Hannah Youngblood
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Dominic Qualley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
| | - Jacob Williams
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
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9
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Lu Y, Gu X, Lin H, Melis A. Engineering microalgae: transition from empirical design to programmable cells. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2021; 41:1233-1256. [PMID: 34130561 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1917507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Domesticated microalgae hold great promise for the sustainable provision of various bioresources for human domestic and industrial consumption. Efforts to exploit their potential are far from being fully realized due to limitations in the know-how of microalgal engineering. The associated technologies are not as well developed as those for heterotrophic microbes, cyanobacteria, and plants. However, recent studies on microalgal metabolic engineering, genome editing, and synthetic biology have immensely helped to enhance transformation efficiencies and are bringing new insights into this field. Therefore, this article, summarizes recent developments in microalgal biotechnology and examines the prospects for generating specialty and commodity products through the processes of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. After a brief examination of empirical engineering methods and vector design, this article focuses on quantitative transformation cassette design, elaborates on target editing methods and emerging digital design of algal cellular metabolism to arrive at high yields of valuable products. These advances have enabled a transition of manners in microalgal engineering from single-gene and enzyme-based metabolic engineering to systems-level precision engineering, from cells created with genetically modified (GM) tags to that without GM tags, and ultimately from proof of concept to tangible industrial applications. Finally, future trends are proposed in microalgal engineering, aiming to establish individualized transformation systems in newly identified species for strain-specific specialty and commodity products, while developing sophisticated universal toolkits in model algal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yandu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou, China.,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Xinping Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hanzhi Lin
- Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology, Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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10
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Graeff JE, Leblond JD. Sterol Composition of the Peridinioid Dinoflagellate Zooxanthella nutricula, A Symbiont of Polycystine Radiolarians. Protist 2021; 172:125817. [PMID: 34198015 DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2021.125817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Some dinoflagellates, such as Symbiodinium, are able to form symbiotic relationships with larger marine organisms. An important aspect of dinoflagellate symbiosis involves the exchange of lipids, namely sterols, from the symbiont to the host. Much research has explored the lipid biochemistry of the symbiotic relationship between cnidarians and Symbiodinium dinoflagellates. However, no research has addressed the sterol biochemistry of the symbiosis between radiolarians and dinoflagellates such as Zooxanthella nutricula. To this end, we have provided the first sterol characterization of Z. nutricula isolated from a spumellarian polycystine radiolarian. Fifteen sterols and one steroidal ketone were observed where the major sterol identified was C27 22-dehydrocholesterol, which does not tend to be a dominant sterol among dinoflagellates, including closely related peridinioid species in the genus Heterocapsa. However, C30 dinosterol and dinostanol were major sterols in both Z. nutricula and Heterocapsa spp., thus indicating common sterols between closely related taxa. Major sterols of the distantly related genus Symbiodinium, a symbiont of foraminifera and cnidarians, have included C27 cholesterol and C30 gorgosterol, whereas in Z. nutricula these sterols were minor and absent, respectively. Our results indicate potentially different sterol pools available to cnidarian and radiolarian symbiont hosts during their respective relationships with symbiotic dinoflagellates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jori E Graeff
- Ecology and Evolution Group, Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Leblond
- Ecology and Evolution Group, Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA.
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11
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Darnet S, Blary A, Chevalier Q, Schaller H. Phytosterol Profiles, Genomes and Enzymes - An Overview. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:665206. [PMID: 34093623 PMCID: PMC8172173 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.665206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable diversity of sterol biosynthetic capacities described in living organisms is enriched at a fast pace by a growing number of sequenced genomes. Whereas analytical chemistry has produced a wealth of sterol profiles of species in diverse taxonomic groups including seed and non-seed plants, algae, phytoplanktonic species and other unicellular eukaryotes, functional assays and validation of candidate genes unveils new enzymes and new pathways besides canonical biosynthetic schemes. An overview of the current landscape of sterol pathways in the tree of life is tentatively assembled in a series of sterolotypes that encompass major groups and provides also peculiar features of sterol profiles in bacteria, fungi, plants, and algae.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hubert Schaller
- Plant Isoprenoid Biology Team, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes du CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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12
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Tracing molecular properties throughout evolution: A chemoinformatic approach. J Theor Biol 2021; 515:110601. [PMID: 33508327 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Evolution of metabolism is a longstanding yet unresolved question, and several hypotheses were proposed to address this complex process from a Darwinian point of view. Modern statistical bioinformatic approaches targeted to the comparative analysis of genomes are being used to detect signatures of natural selection at the gene and population level, as an attempt to understand the origin of primordial metabolism and its expansion. These studies, however, are still mainly centered on genes and the proteins they encode, somehow neglecting the small organic chemicals that support life processes. In this work, we selected steroids as an ancient family of metabolites widely distributed in all eukaryotes and applied unsupervised machine learning techniques to reveal the traits that natural selection has imprinted on molecular properties throughout the evolutionary process. Our results clearly show that sterols, the primal steroids that first appeared, have more conserved properties and that, from then on, more complex compounds with increasingly diverse properties have emerged, suggesting that chemical diversification parallels the expansion of biological complexity. In a wider context, these findings highlight the worth of chemoinformatic approaches to a better understanding the evolution of metabolism.
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