Project description:DNA oligonucleotide microarrays were designed with 307 probes for 96 internal transcribed spacer (ITS1, located between 18S and 26S rRNA genes) sequences of known species and strains from the genus Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyceae). In addition, microarrays also carried 1893 probes targeting ITS1 aequences of marine Crenarchaeota and Alphaproteobacteria of SAR11 clade. In order to assign microarray profiles to Pseudo-nitzschia ribotypes and species and to 'train' the data analysis system, we grew cultures of Pseudo-nitzschia in the laboratory with identities confirmed through rDNA sequence analysis. In total, 9 cultures and 35 environmental water samples were hybridized to microarrays, in some cases, in duplicate or triplicate. Analysis of microarray data allowed us to identify and map Pseudo-nitzschia spp. in the coastal waters along Washington and Oregon coast of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and to observe seasonal changes in diatom community composition.
Project description:DNA oligonucleotide microarrays were designed with 307 probes for 96 internal transcribed spacer (ITS1, located between 18S and 26S rRNA genes) sequences of known species and strains from the genus Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyceae). In addition, microarrays also carried 1893 probes targeting ITS1 aequences of marine Crenarchaeota and Alphaproteobacteria of SAR11 clade. In order to assign microarray profiles to Pseudo-nitzschia ribotypes and species and to 'train' the data analysis system, we grew cultures of Pseudo-nitzschia in the laboratory with identities confirmed through rDNA sequence analysis. In total, 9 cultures and 35 environmental water samples were hybridized to microarrays, in some cases, in duplicate or triplicate. Analysis of microarray data allowed us to identify and map Pseudo-nitzschia spp. in the coastal waters along Washington and Oregon coast of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and to observe seasonal changes in diatom community composition. Total DNA was isolated from 9 Pseudo-nitzschia laboratory cultures and 35 environmental water samples collected during 7 field campaigns in 2007-2009. The environmental samples were collected at distances of 5 to 55 km from the coast, along the following transects in the Pacific Ocean covering over 300 km of the coastline: La Push (LP), Grays Harbor (GH), Columbia River (CR), and Newport Hydroline (NH). The DNA samples were subjected to PCR amplification with the primers specific for ITS1 sequences. The resultant biotin-labeled target samples were analyzed using microarray hybridization with the CombiMatrix ElectraSense 4X2K format. Out of 44 analyzed samples, 40, 2, and 2 were used for single, duplicate and triplicate hybridizations, respectively.
Project description:The oceanic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia granii was cultured in the laboratory under steady-state iron-replete and iron-limited conditions. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed to determine how this organism reorganizes major metabolic processes as a function of iron supply.
Project description:<p>Four species of phytoplankton representing important bloom-forming species from three globally important phyla (Bacillariophyta, Haptophyta, and Ochrophyte) were cultured in this study. These species include the cosmopolitan diatom <em>Chaetoceros affinis</em> CCMP159 (isolated from Great South Bay, NY, USA, 1958), the haptophytes<em> Chrysochromulina polylepis </em>CCMP1757 (isolated from the North Sea 1988) and <em>Gephyrocapsa oceanica</em> RCC1303 (isolated from Arachon Bay, France, Jan 1999), and the raphidophyte <em>Heterosigma akashiwo </em>strain CCMP 2393 (isolated from Rehoboth Bay, Delaware, USA). Cultures were grown under three conditions: nitrogen-stress, phosphorus-stress, and replete conditions. Intracellular metabolites were extracted from cultures and analyzed with targeted and untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics methods.</p>
Project description:Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries (Ps-n) is a toxigenic marine diatom that produces the neurotoxin, domoic acid. We screened for candidate genes that may be involved in domoic acid production by determining changes in transcript profiles in Ps-n cultures that were in late exponential (low-domoic-acid-producing) vs. stationary (high-domoic-acid-producing) growth states. We also identified a number of candidate reference genes for future RT-qPCR studies, based on their stability in this study.
