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Polerecky L, Masuda T, Eichner M, Rabouille S, Vancová M, Kienhuis MVM, Bernát G, Bonomi-Barufi J, Campbell DA, Claquin P, Červený J, Giordano M, Kotabová E, Kromkamp J, Lombardi AT, Lukeš M, Prášil O, Stephan S, Suggett D, Zavřel T, Halsey KH. Temporal Patterns and Intra- and Inter-Cellular Variability in Carbon and Nitrogen Assimilation by the Unicellular Cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:620915. [PMID: 33613489 PMCID: PMC7890256 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.620915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Unicellular nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria (UCYN) are abundant members of phytoplankton communities in a wide range of marine environments, including those with rapidly changing nitrogen (N) concentrations. We hypothesized that differences in N availability (N2 vs. combined N) would cause UCYN to shift strategies of intracellular N and C allocation. We used transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging to track assimilation and intracellular allocation of 13C-labeled CO2 and 15N-labeled N2 or NO3 at different periods across a diel cycle in Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. We present new ideas on interpreting these imaging data, including the influences of pre-incubation cellular C and N contents and turnover rates of inclusion bodies. Within cultures growing diazotrophically, distinct subpopulations were detected that fixed N2 at night or in the morning. Additional significant within-population heterogeneity was likely caused by differences in the relative amounts of N assimilated into cyanophycin from sources external and internal to the cells. Whether growing on N2 or NO3, cells prioritized cyanophycin synthesis when N assimilation rates were highest. N assimilation in cells growing on NO3 switched from cyanophycin synthesis to protein synthesis, suggesting that once a cyanophycin quota is met, it is bypassed in favor of protein synthesis. Growth on NO3 also revealed that at night, there is a very low level of CO2 assimilation into polysaccharides simultaneous with their catabolism for protein synthesis. This study revealed multiple, detailed mechanisms underlying C and N management in Cyanothece that facilitate its success in dynamic aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Takako Masuda
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Meri Eichner
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Sophie Rabouille
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Banyuls-sur-mer, France
| | - Marie Vancová
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | | | - Gabor Bernát
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
- Centre for Ecological Research, Balaton Limnological Institute, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Jose Bonomi-Barufi
- Botany Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus de Trindade, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | | | - Pascal Claquin
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, FRE 2030, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université de Caen Normandie, Normandie Université, Esplanade de la Paix, France
| | - Jan Červený
- Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Mario Giordano
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
- STU-UNIVPM Joint Algal Research Center, Marine Biology Institute, College of Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Eva Kotabová
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Jacco Kromkamp
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Den Burg, Netherlands
| | | | - Martin Lukeš
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Ondrej Prášil
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Susanne Stephan
- Department Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin, Germany
- Department of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Suggett
- University of Technology Sydney, Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Tomas Zavřel
- Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Kimberly H. Halsey
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
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Sinetova MA, Cervený J, Zavřel T, Nedbal L. On the dynamics and constraints of batch culture growth of the cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. J Biotechnol 2012; 162:148-55. [PMID: 22575787 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2012.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2011] [Revised: 04/18/2012] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The unicellular, nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 is of a remarkable potential for production of third-generation biofuels. As the biotechnological potential of Cyanothece 51142 varies with the time of the day, we argue that it will, similarly, depend on the phase of the culture growth. Here, we study the batch culture dynamics to discover the dominant constraints in the individual growth phases and identify potential for inducing or delaying transitions between culture growth phases in Cyanothece 51142. We found that specific growth rate in the exponential phase of the culture is much less dependent on incident irradiance than the photosynthetic activity. We propose that surplus electrons that are released by water splitting are used in futile processes providing photoprotection additional to non-photochemical quenching. We confirm that the transition from exponential to linear phase is caused by a light limitation and the transition from linear to stationary phase by nitrogen limitation. We observe spontaneous diurnal metabolic oscillations in stationary phase culture that are synchronized over the entire culture without an external clue. We tentatively propose that the self-synchronization of the metabolic oscillations is due to a cell-to-cell communication of the cyanobacteria that is necessary for nitrogenase activity in nitrate depleted medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Sinetova
- Global Change Research Centre-CzechGlobe, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Zámek 136, CZ-37333 Nové Hrady, Czech Republic
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