Resonance Raman and SERRS of fucoxanthin: Prospects for carotenoid quantification in live diatom cells

Impact of inorganic mercury on carotenoids in freshwater algae: Insights from single-cell resonance Raman spectroscopy

The influence of inorganic mercury (Hg(II)) exposure on photosynthetic microorganisms and their pigments remains understudied. Here, we employed resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy to investigate the responses of two freshwater phytoplankton species, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana to Hg(II) exposure. We selectively recorded the spectral RR signature of carotenoids in intact cells exposed to concentrations of 10 nM and 100 nM of Hg(II), representative for contaminated environment and unexposed control cells. A two-hour exposure of C. reinhardtii resulted in a slight decrease in lutein and β-carotene levels, while total carotenoids RR band broadening, as revealed by the FWHM of the υ1(C=C) stretching mode from averaged RR spectra, suggested conformational changes in pigments. Higher Hg(II) concentration induced more pronounced conformational changes. Similarly, a two-hour exposure of C. meneghiniana resulted in slight decreased level of the fucoxanthin, while diadinoxanthin showed an opposite trend compared to control: when fucoxanthin decreased, diadinoxanthin increased under 10 nM Hg (II) exposure. At higher concentrations, the decrease in fucoxanthin was less pronounced, accompanied by a broadening of the band area, (with FHHM increased), indicating possible conformer occurrence in response to Hg-induced stress. The changes in the main carotenoid species of the two algae are species-specific, Hg(II) concentration-specific, and dependent on exposure time. The calculated spectral differences in absorbances from UV-VIS spectra of methanol extracts from each group supported the main findings obtained by RR, though with caution due to the selective extraction efficiency of the respective carotenoids. This study highlighted for a first time the capability of single-cell RR spectroscopy as a valuable tool for toxicity assessment and for comprehending early-stage alterations in carotenoid metabolism due to toxic metal exposure in vivo.

Micro-Raman spectroscopy of the light-harvesting pigments in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under salinity stress

Microalgae are a rich source of carotenoids with enhanced yields during biotic or abiotic stresses, which often impose survival challenges on the cells. Using a non-invasive pigment profiling approach with micro-Raman spectroscopy, we have analyzed the effect of salinity stress on carotenoids in autotrophic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Raman spectral analysis of ν(C = C) mode indicates an increase in the carotenoids with lower conjugation length (lutein and zeaxanthin) compared to β-carotene, as the function of culture age and salinity stress, but especially when salinity stress was imposed in two-stage mode (stress imposed on 2nd day, D2_100, and 4th day, D4_100, during exponential phase). Population-scale heterogeneities in carotenoid Raman mode peak center, quantified with heterogeneity index (HI), were highest during the stationary phase of the cultures and under salinity stress. Although the Raman signal was obtained from a randomly selected small focal volume in the cell, a decrease in chlorophyll Raman mode intensities with age and salinity stress was well corroborated by single-cell population fraction measurements by microscopy. Raman intensity fluctuations (I_f) were high for both chlorophyll and carotenoid modes under salinity stress, which can arise due to variations in chlorophyll/carotenoid content and composition, or conformational changes in the pigments in C. reinhardtii cells. Interestingly, in all growth conditions, chlorophyll a Raman mode intensity was found to show a high correlation to that of β-carotene, pointing out a high degree of cooperativity in the light-harvesting complex pigments even during salinity stress. Thus, we demonstrate the usefulness of non-invasive pigment profiling with micro-Raman spectroscopy for developing an optimization for salinity stress conditions for high biomass yield and proper harvest time to obtain carotenoids with desired chemical composition.