1
|
Haavisto V, Landry Z, Pontrelli S. High-throughput profiling of metabolic responses to exogenous nutrients in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. mSystems 2024; 9:e0022724. [PMID: 38534128 PMCID: PMC11019784 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00227-24] [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: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria fix carbon dioxide and release carbon-containing compounds into the wider ecosystem, yet they are sensitive to small metabolites that may impact their growth and physiology. Several cyanobacteria can grow mixotrophically, but we currently lack a molecular understanding of how specific nutrients may alter the compounds they release, limiting our knowledge of how environmental factors might impact primary producers and the ecosystems they support. In this study, we develop a high-throughput phytoplankton culturing platform and identify how the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 responds to nutrient supplementation. We assess growth responses to 32 nutrients at two concentrations, identifying 15 that are utilized mixotrophically. Seven nutrient sources significantly enhance growth, while 19 elicit negative growth responses at one or both concentrations. High-throughput exometabolomics indicates that oxidative stress limits Synechocystis' growth but may be alleviated by antioxidant metabolites. Furthermore, glucose and valine induce strong changes in metabolite exudation in a possible effort to correct pathway imbalances or maintain intracellular elemental ratios. This study sheds light on the flexibility and limits of cyanobacterial physiology and metabolism, as well as how primary production and trophic food webs may be modulated by exogenous nutrients.IMPORTANCECyanobacteria capture and release carbon compounds to fuel microbial food webs, yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of how external nutrients modify their behavior and what they produce. We developed a high throughput culturing platform to evaluate how the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 responds to a broad panel of externally supplied nutrients. We found that growth may be enhanced by metabolites that protect against oxidative stress, and growth and exudate profiles are altered by metabolites that interfere with central carbon metabolism and elemental ratios. This work contributes a holistic perspective of the versatile response of Synechocystis to externally supplied nutrients, which may alter carbon flux into the wider ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vilhelmiina Haavisto
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Zachary Landry
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sammy Pontrelli
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Muñoz-Marín MDC, López-Lozano A, Moreno-Cabezuelo JÁ, Díez J, García-Fernández JM. Mixotrophy in cyanobacteria. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 78:102432. [PMID: 38325247 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria evolved the oxygenic photosynthesis to generate organic matter from CO2 and sunlight, and they were responsible for the production of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This made them a model for photosynthetic organisms, since they are easier to study than higher plants. Early studies suggested that only a minority among cyanobacteria might assimilate organic compounds, being considered mostly autotrophic for decades. However, compelling evidence from marine and freshwater cyanobacteria, including toxic strains, in the laboratory and in the field, has been obtained in the last decades: by using physiological and omics approaches, mixotrophy has been found to be a more widespread feature than initially believed. Furthermore, dominant clades of marine cyanobacteria can take up organic compounds, and mixotrophy is critical for their survival in deep waters with very low light. Hence, mixotrophy seems to be an essential trait in the metabolism of most cyanobacteria, which can be exploited for biotechnological purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Del Carmen Muñoz-Marín
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Universitario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio Severo Ochoa, planta 1, ala Este, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Antonio López-Lozano
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Universitario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio Severo Ochoa, planta 1, ala Este, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - José Ángel Moreno-Cabezuelo
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Universitario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio Severo Ochoa, planta 1, ala Este, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Jesús Díez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Universitario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio Severo Ochoa, planta 1, ala Este, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
| | - José Manuel García-Fernández
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Universitario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio Severo Ochoa, planta 1, ala Este, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Siebieszuk A, Sejbuk M, Witkowska AM. Studying the Human Microbiota: Advances in Understanding the Fundamentals, Origin, and Evolution of Biological Timekeeping. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16169. [PMID: 38003359 PMCID: PMC10671191 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216169] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The recently observed circadian oscillations of the intestinal microbiota underscore the profound nature of the human-microbiome relationship and its importance for health. Together with the discovery of circadian clocks in non-photosynthetic gut bacteria and circadian rhythms in anucleated cells, these findings have indicated the possibility that virtually all microorganisms may possess functional biological clocks. However, they have also raised many essential questions concerning the fundamentals of biological timekeeping, its evolution, and its origin. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent literature in molecular chronobiology, aiming to bring together the latest evidence on the structure and mechanisms driving microbial biological clocks while pointing to potential applications of this knowledge in medicine. Moreover, it discusses the latest hypotheses regarding the evolution of timing mechanisms and describes the functions of peroxiredoxins in cells and their contribution to the cellular clockwork. The diversity of biological clocks among various human-associated microorganisms and the role of transcriptional and post-translational timekeeping mechanisms are also addressed. Finally, recent evidence on metabolic oscillators and host-microbiome communication is presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Siebieszuk
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Białystok, Poland;
| | - Monika Sejbuk
- Department of Food Biotechnology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Bialystok, Szpitalna 37, 15-295 Białystok, Poland;
| | - Anna Maria Witkowska
- Department of Food Biotechnology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Bialystok, Szpitalna 37, 15-295 Białystok, Poland;
| |
Collapse
|