Single-cell imaging of phosphorus uptake shows that key harmful algae rely on different phosphorus sources for growth.

ABSTRACT: Single-cell measurements of biochemical processes have advanced our understanding of cellular physiology in individual microbes and microbial populations. Due to methodological limitations, little is known about single-cell phosphorus (P) uptake and its importance for microbial growth within mixed field populations. Here, we developed a nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS)-based approach to quantify single-cell P uptake in combination with cellular CO₂ and N₂ fixation. Applying this approach during a harmful algal bloom (HAB), we found that the toxin-producer Nodularia almost exclusively used phosphate for growth at very low phosphate concentrations in the Baltic Sea. In contrast, the non-toxic Aphanizomenon acquired only 15% of its cellular P-de

SUBMITTER: Schoffelen NJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6249326 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature