Dataset Information

Characterization of Cyanophages in Lake Erie: Interaction Mechanisms and Structural Damage of Toxic Cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Cyanophages are abundant in aquatic environments and play a critical role in bloom dynamics, including regulation of cyanobacteria growth and photosynthesis. In this study, cyanophages from western Lake Erie water samples were screened for lytic activities against the host cell (Microcystis aeruginosa), which was also originated from Lake Erie and identified with real-time sequencing (Nanopore sequencing). M. aeruginosa was mixed with the cyanophages and their dynamic interactions were examined over two weeks using atomic force microscopy (AFM) as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), qPCR, phycocyanin and chlorophyll-a production, and optical absorbance measurements. The TEM images revealed a short-tailed virus (Podoviridae) in 300 nm size with unique capsid, knob-like proteins. The psbA gene and one knob-like protein gene, gp58, were identified by PCR. The AFM showed a reduction of mechanical stiffness in the host cell membranes over time after infection, before structural damage became visible. Significant inhibition of the host growth and photosynthesis was observed from the measurements of phycocyanin and chlorophyll-a concentrations. The results provide an insight into cyanobacteria-cyanophage interactions in bloom dynamics and a potential application of cyanophages for bloom control in specific situations.

SUBMITTER: Jiang X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6722964 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characterization of Cyanophages in Lake Erie: Interaction Mechanisms and Structural Damage of Toxic Cyanobacteria.

Jiang Xuewen X Ha Chanhee C Lee Seungjun S Kwon Jinha J Cho Hanna H Gorham Tyler T Lee Jiyoung J

Toxins 20190726 8

Cyanophages are abundant in aquatic environments and play a critical role in bloom dynamics, including regulation of cyanobacteria growth and photosynthesis. In this study, cyanophages from western Lake Erie water samples were screened for lytic activities against the host cell (<i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i>), which was also originated from Lake Erie and identified with real-time sequencing (Nanopore sequencing). <i>M. aeruginosa</i> was mixed with the cyanophages and their dynamic interactions ...[more]

PMID: 31357465

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Project description:Microcystins are potent hepatotoxins that are frequently detected in fresh water lakes plagued by toxic cyanobacteria. Microbial biodegradation has been referred to as the most important avenue for removal of microcystin from aquatic environments. The biochemical pathway most commonly associated with the degradation of microcystin is encoded by the mlrABCD (mlr) cassette. The ecological significance of this pathway remains unclear as no studies have examined the expression of these genes in natural environments. Six metatranscriptomes were generated from microcystin-producing Microcystis blooms and analyzed to assess the activity of this pathway in environmental samples. Seventy-eight samples were collected from Lake Erie, United States/Canada and Lake Tai (Taihu), China, and screened for the presence of mlr gene transcripts. Read mapping to the mlr cassette indicated transcripts for these genes were absent, with only 77 of the collective 3.7 billion reads mapping to any part of the mlr cassette. Analysis of the assembled metatranscriptomes supported this, with only distantly related sequences identified as mlrABC-like. These observations were made despite the presence of microcystin and over 500,000 reads mapping to the mcy cassette for microcystin production. Glutathione S-transferases and alkaline proteases have been previously hypothesized to be alternative pathways for microcystin biodegradation, and expression of these genes was detected across space and time in both lakes. While the activity of these alternative pathways needs to be experimentally confirmed, they may be individually or collectively more important than mlr genes in the natural environment. Importantly, the lack of mlr expression could indicate microcystin biodegradation was not occurring in the analyzed samples. This study raises interesting questions about the ubiquity, specificity and locality of microcystin biodegradation, and highlights the need for the characterization of relevant mechanisms in natural communities to understand the fate of microcystin in the environment and risk to public health.

Dataset Information

Characterization of Cyanophages in Lake Erie: Interaction Mechanisms and Structural Damage of Toxic Cyanobacteria.

Publications

Characterization of Cyanophages in Lake Erie: Interaction Mechanisms and Structural Damage of Toxic Cyanobacteria.

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