Dataset Information

Heterogeneity of alkane chain length in freshwater and marine cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: The potential utilization of cyanobacteria for the biological production of alkanes represents an exceptional system for the next generation of biofuels. Here, we analyzed a diverse group of freshwater and marine cyanobacterial isolates from Indian culture collections for their ability to produce both alkanes and alkenes. Among the 50 cyanobacterial isolates screened, 32 isolates; 14 freshwater and 18 marine isolates; produced predominantly alkanes. The GC-MS/MS profiles revealed a higher percentage of pentadecane and heptadecane production for marine and freshwater strains, respectively. Oscillatoria species were found to be the highest producers of alkanes. Among the freshwater isolates, Oscillatoria CCC305 produced the maximum alkane level with 0.43??g/mg dry cell weight, while Oscillatoria formosa BDU30603 was the highest producer among the marine isolates with 0.13??g/mg dry cell weight. Culturing these strains under different media compositions showed that the alkane chain length was not influenced by the growth medium but was rather an inherent property of the strains. Analysis of the cellular fatty acid content indicated the presence of predominantly C16 chain length fatty acids in marine strains, while the proportion of C18 chain length fatty acids increased in the majority of freshwater strains. These results correlated with alkane chain length specificity of marine and freshwater isolates indicating that alkane chain lengths may be primarily determined by the fatty acid synthesis pathway. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of pentadecane-producing marine strains that was distinct from heptadecane-producing freshwater strains strongly suggesting a close association between alkane chain length and the cyanobacteria habitat.

SUBMITTER: Shakeel T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4360714 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Heterogeneity of alkane chain length in freshwater and marine cyanobacteria.

Shakeel Tabinda T Fatma Zia Z Fatma Tasneem T Yazdani Syed Shams SS

Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology 20150316

The potential utilization of cyanobacteria for the biological production of alkanes represents an exceptional system for the next generation of biofuels. Here, we analyzed a diverse group of freshwater and marine cyanobacterial isolates from Indian culture collections for their ability to produce both alkanes and alkenes. Among the 50 cyanobacterial isolates screened, 32 isolates; 14 freshwater and 18 marine isolates; produced predominantly alkanes. The GC-MS/MS profiles revealed a higher percen ...[more]

PMID: 25853127

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Project description:In cyanobacteria, alkanes are synthesized from a fatty acyl-ACP by two enzymes, acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase and aldehyde deformylating oxygenase. Despite the great interest in the exploitation for biofuel production, nothing is known about the transcriptional organization of their genes or the physiological function of alkane synthesis. The comparison of 115 microarray datasets indicates the relatively constitutive expression of aar and ado genes. The analysis of 181 available genomes showed that in 90% of the genomes both genes are present, likely indicating their physiological relevance. In 61% of them they cluster together with genes encoding acetyl-CoA carboxyl transferase and a short-chain dehydrogenase, strengthening the link to fatty acid metabolism and in 76% of the genomes they are located in tandem, suggesting constraints on the gene arrangement. However, contrary to the expectations for an operon, we found in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 specific promoters for the two genes, sll0208 (ado) and sll0209 (aar), which give rise to monocistronic transcripts. Moreover, the upstream located ado gene is driven by a proximal as well as a second, distal, promoter, from which a third transcript, the ~160 nt sRNA SyR9 is transcribed. Thus, the transcriptional organization of the alkane biosynthesis genes in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is of substantial complexity. We verified all three promoters to function independently from each other and show a similar promoter arrangement also in the more distant Nodularia spumigena, Trichodesmium erythraeum, Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, Prochlorococcus MIT9313, and MED4. The presence of separate regulatory elements and the dominance of monocistronic mRNAs suggest the possible autonomous regulation of ado and aar. The complex transcriptional organization of the alkane synthesis gene cluster has possible metabolic implications and should be considered when manipulating the expression of these genes in cyanobacteria.

Project description:Cyanobacterial and algal mass development, or blooms, have severe effects on freshwater and marine systems around the world. Many of these phototrophs produce a variety of potent toxins, contribute to oxygen depletion, and affect water quality in several ways. Coexisting antagonists, such as cyanolytic bacteria, hold the potential to suppress, or even terminate, such blooms, yet the nature of this interaction is not well studied. We isolated 31 cyanolytic bacteria affiliated with the genera Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Acinetobacter, and Delftia from three eutrophic freshwater lakes in Sweden and selected four phylogenetically diverse bacterial strains with strong-to-moderate lytic activity. To characterize their functional responses to the presence of cyanobacteria, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) experiments on coculture incubations, with an initial predator-prey ratio of 1:1. Genes involved in central cellular pathways, stress-related heat or cold shock proteins, and antitoxin genes were highly expressed in both heterotrophs and cyanobacteria. Heterotrophs in coculture expressed genes involved in cell motility, signal transduction, and putative lytic activity. l,d-Transpeptidase was the only significantly upregulated lytic gene in Stenotrophomonas rhizophila EK20. Heterotrophs also shifted their central metabolism from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to the glyoxylate shunt. Concurrently, cyanobacteria clearly show contrasting antagonistic interactions with the four tested heterotrophic strains, which is also reflected in the physical attachment to their cells. In conclusion, antagonistic interactions with cyanobacteria were initiated within 24 h, and expression profiles suggest varied responses for the different cyanobacteria and studied cyanolytes.IMPORTANCE Here, we present how gene expression profiles can be used to reveal interactions between bloom-forming freshwater cyanobacteria and antagonistic heterotrophic bacteria. Species-specific responses in both heterotrophs and cyanobacteria were identified. The study contributes to a better understanding of the interspecies cellular interactions underpinning the persistence and collapse of cyanobacterial blooms.

Dataset Information

Heterogeneity of alkane chain length in freshwater and marine cyanobacteria.

Publications

Heterogeneity of alkane chain length in freshwater and marine cyanobacteria.

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