Steroid estrogens (SEs) have garnered global attention because of their potential hazards to human health and aquatic organisms at low concentrations (ng/L). The ecosystems of plateau freshwater ...lakes are fragile, the water lag time is long, and pollutants easily accumulate, making them more vulnerable to the impact of SEs. However, the knowledge of the impact of SEs on the growth and decomposition of phytoplankton communities in plateau lakes and the eutrophication process is limited. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of SEs exposure on dominant algal communities and the expression of typical algal functional genes in Erhai Lake using indoor simulations and molecular biological methods. The results showed that phytoplankton were sensitive to 17β-estradiol (E2β) pollution, with a concentration of 50, and 100 ng/L E2β exposure promoting the growth of cyanophyta and chlorophyta in the short term; this poses an ecological risk of inducing algal blooms. E2β of 1000 ng/L exposure led to cross-effects of estrogenic effects and toxicity, with most phytoplankton being inhibited. However, small filamentous cyanobacteria and diatoms exhibited greater tolerance; Melosira sp. even exhibited "low inhibition, high promotion" behavior. Exposure to E2β reduced the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H'), Pielou index (J), and the number of dominant algal species (S) in phytoplankton communities, leading to instability in community succession. E2β of 50 ng/L enhanced the expression levels of relevant functional genes, such as ftsH, psaB, atpB, and prx, related to Microcystis aeruginosa. E2β of 50 ng/L and 5 mg/L can promote the transcription of Microcystis toxins (MC) related genes (mcyA), leading to more MC production by algal cells.
Display omitted
•E2β at the ng/L level posed the ecological risk of inducing algal blooms.•E2β exhibited a "low suppressing and high promoting" effect on Melosira sp.•The community structure of phytoplankton was sensitive to E2β pollution.•E2β enhanced the expression level of key genes related to Microcysis aeruginosa.
A new diatom genus Cymbosellaphora Kulikovskiy, Glushchenko, Genkal and Kociolek gen. nov., was described with species Cymbosellaphora vietnamensis Glushchenko, Kulikovskiy and Kociolek sp. nov. C. ...vietnamensis sp. nov. was described from Vietnam and characterized by the presence of morphological features such as valves with naviculoid symmetry, slight dorsiventrality, the presence of tectula as pore occlusions, uniseriate striae, and a very broad mantle. Four species were transferred to the new genus. These are C. absoluta comb. nov., C. circumborealis comb. nov., C. geisslerae comb. nov., and C. laterostrata comb. nov. Previously, these species were members of genera Navicula Bory, Sellaphora Mereschkowsky, and Naviculadicta Lange-Bertalot. The taxonomic history of these species and genera are discussed. The tectulum is known only from the cymbelloid diatoms, and our new genus is placed within the Cymbellaceae. The presence of a tectulum demonstrates that these species cannot be placed in Sellaphora, as indicated in the literature. The recent proposal to transfer a large number of species with different morphologies to the genus Sellaphora is also discussed. Additionally, we compare pore occlusions with tectula between different genera of the Cymbellaceae with naviculoid symmetry.
Light (20-450 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1)), temperature (3-11 °C) and inorganic nutrient composition (nutrient replete and N, P and Si limitation) were manipulated to study their combined influence on ...growth, stoichiometry (C:N:P:Chl a) and primary production of the cold water diatom Chaetoceros wighamii. During exponential growth, the maximum growth rate (~0.8 d(-1)) was observed at high temperature and light; at 3 °C the growth rate was ~30% lower under similar light conditions. The interaction effect of light and temperature were clearly visible from growth and cellular stoichiometry. The average C:N:P molar ratio was 80:13:1 during exponential growth, but the range, due to different light acclimation, was widest at the lowest temperature, reaching very low C:P (~50) and N:P ratios (~8) at low light and temperature. The C:Chl a ratio had also a wider range at the lowest temperature during exponential growth, ranging 16-48 (weight ratio) at 3 °C compared with 17-33 at 11 °C. During exponential growth, there was no clear trend in the Chl a normalized, initial slope (α*) of the photosynthesis-irradiance (PE) curve, but the maximum photosynthetic production (P(m)) was highest for cultures acclimated to the highest light and temperature. During the stationary growth phase, the stoichiometric relationship depended on the limiting nutrient, but with generally increasing C:N:P ratio. The average photosynthetic quotient (PQ) during exponential growth was 1.26 but decreased to <1 under nutrient and light limitation, probably due to photorespiration. The results clearly demonstrate that there are interaction effects between light, temperature and nutrient limitation, and the data suggests greater variability of key parameters at low temperature. Understanding these dynamics will be important for improving models of aquatic primary production and biogeochemical cycles in a warming climate.
The diatom genus Chaetoceros is one of the most abundant and diverse phytoplankton in marine and brackish waters worldwide. Within this genus, Chaetoceros socialis has been cited as one of the most ...common species. However, recent studies from different geographic areas have shown the presence of pseudo‐cryptic diversity within the C. socialis complex. Members of this complex are characterized by curved chains (primary colonies) aggregating into globular clusters, where one of the four setae of each cell curves toward the center of the cluster and the other three orient outwards. New light and electron microscopy observations as well as molecular data on marine planktonic diatoms from the coastal waters off Chile revealed the presence of two new species, Chaetoceros sporotruncatus sp. nov. and C. dichatoensis. sp. nov. belonging to the C. socialis complex. The two new species are similar to other members of the complex (i.e., C. socialis and C. gelidus) in the primary and secondary structure of the colony, the orientation pattern of the setae, and the valve ultrastructure. The only morphological characters that can be used to differentiate the species of this complex are aspects related to resting spore morphology. The two newly described species are closely related to each other and form a sister clade to C. gelidus in molecular phylogenies. We also provide a phylogenetic status along with the morphological characterization of C. radicans and C. cintus, which are genetically related to the C. socialis complex.
Anion transporters sustain a variety of physiological states in cells. Bestrophins (BSTs) belong to a Cl- and/or HCO3- transporter family conserved in bacteria, animals, algae, and plants. Recently, ...putative BSTs were found in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, where they are upregulated under low CO2 (LC) conditions and play an essential role in the CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM). The putative BST orthologs are also conserved in diatoms, secondary endosymbiotic algae harboring red-type plastids, but their physiological functions are unknown. Here, we characterized the subcellular localization and expression profile of BSTs in the marine diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PtBST1 to 4) and Thalassiosira pseudonana (TpBST1 and 2). PtBST1, PtBST2, and PtBST4 were localized at the stroma thylakoid membrane outside of the pyrenoid, and PtBST3 was localized in the pyrenoid. Contrarily, TpBST1 and TpBST2 were both localized in the pyrenoid. These BST proteins accumulated in cells grown in LC but not in 1% CO2 (high CO2 HC). To assess the physiological functions, we generated knockout mutants for the PtBST1 gene by genome editing. The lack of PtBST1 decreased photosynthetic affinity for dissolved inorganic carbon to the level comparable with the HC-grown wild type. Furthermore, non-photochemical quenching in LC-grown cells was 1.5 to 2.0 times higher in the mutants than in the wild type. These data suggest that HCO3- transport at the stroma thylakoid membranes by PtBST1 is a critical part of the CO2-evolving machinery of the pyrenoid in the fully induced CCM and that PtBST1 may modulate photoprotection under CO2-limited environments in P. tricornutum.
Light is an essential source of energy for life on Earth and is one of the most important signals that organisms use to obtain information from the surrounding environment, on land and in the oceans. ...Prominent marine microalgae, such as diatoms, display a suite of sophisticated responses (physiological, biochemical, and behavioural) to optimize their photosynthesis and growth under changing light conditions. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling diatom responses to light are still largely unknown. Recent progress in marine diatom genomics and genetics, combined with well-established (eco) physiological and biophysical approaches, now offers novel opportunities to address these issues. This review provides a description of the molecular components identified in diatom genomes that are involved in light perception and acclimation mechanisms. How the initial functional characterizations of specific light regulators provide the basis to investigate the conservation or diversification of light-mediated processes in diatoms is also discussed. Hypotheses on the role of the identified factors in determining the growth, distribution, and adaptation of diatoms in different marine environments are reported.
Summary
CRISPR/Cas enables targeted genome editing in many different plant and algal species including the model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. However, efficient gene targeting by homologous ...recombination (HR) to date is only reported for photosynthetic organisms in their haploid life‐cycle phase. Here, a CRISPR/Cas construct, assembled using Golden Gate cloning, enabled highly efficient HR in a diploid photosynthetic organism.
Homologous recombination was induced in T. pseudonana using sequence‐specific CRISPR/Cas, paired with a dsDNA donor matrix, generating substitution of the silacidin, nitrate reductase and urease genes by a resistance cassette (FCP:NAT).
Up to c. 85% of NAT‐resistant T. pseudonana colonies screened positive for HR by nested PCR. Precise integration of FCP:NAT at each locus was confirmed using an inverse PCR approach. The knockout of the nitrate reductase and urease genes impacted growth on nitrate and urea, respectively, while the knockout of the silacidin gene in T. pseudonana caused a significant increase in cell size, confirming the role of this gene for cell‐size regulation in centric diatoms.
Highly efficient gene targeting by HR makes T. pseudonana as genetically tractable as Nannochloropsis and Physcomitrella, hence rapidly advancing functional diatom biology, bionanotechnology and biotechnological applications targeted on harnessing the metabolic potential of diatoms.
The potential presence of nanoplastics (NP) in aquatic environments represents a growing concern regarding their possible effects on aquatic organisms. The objective of this study was to assess the ...impact of polystyrene (PS) amino-modified particles (50 nm PSNH2) on the cellular and metabolic responses of the diatom Chaetoceros neogracile cultures at two essential phases of the growth cycle, i.e. exponential (division) and stationary (storage) phases. Both cultures were exposed for 4 days to low (0.05 μg mL−1) and high (5 μg mL−1) concentrations of PS-NH2. Exposure to NP impaired more drastically the major cellular and physiological parameters during exponential phase than during the stationary phase. Only an increase in ROS production was observed at both culture phases following NP exposures. In exponential phase cultures, large decreases in chlorophyll content, esterase activity, cellular growth and photosynthetic efficiency were recorded upon NP exposure, which could have consequences on the diatoms life cycle and higher food-web levels. The observed differential responses to NP exposure according to culture phase could reflect i) the higher concentration of Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) at stationary phase leading to NP aggregation and thus, probably minimizing NP effects, and/or ii) the fact that dividing cells during exponential phase may be intrinsically more sensitive to stress. This work evidenced the importance of algae physiological state for assessing the NP impacts with interactions between NP and TEP being one key factor affecting the fate of NP in algal media and their impact to algal’ cells.
Display omitted
•Interaction of NP and diatoms was studied at exponential and stationary phases.•Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) alter NP fate by aggregating NP.•NP impairs major physiological traits of diatoms at exponential phase.•Whatever the aggregation state, NP promotes oxidative stress at both growth phases.
The interaction between nanoplastics (NP) and transparent exopolymeric particles is one key factor affecting the fate of NP in algal media and their impact to algal’ cells.
Finding a partner in the ocean Basu, Swaraj; Patil, Shrikant; Mapleson, Daniel ...
The New phytologist,
July 2017, Volume:
215, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Microalgae play a major role as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Cell signalling regulates their interactions with the environment and other organisms, yet this process in phytoplankton is ...poorly defined. Using the marine planktonic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata, we investigated the cell response to cues released during sexual reproduction, an event that demands strong regulatory mechanisms and impacts on population dynamics.
We sequenced the genome of P. multistriata and performed phylogenomic and transcriptomic analyses, which allowed the definition of gene gains and losses, horizontal gene transfers, conservation and evolutionary rate of sex-related genes. We also identified a small number of conserved noncoding elements.
Sexual reproduction impacted on cell cycle progression and induced an asymmetric response of the opposite mating types. G protein-coupled receptors and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are implicated in the response to sexual cues, which overall entails a modulation of cell cycle, meiosis-related and nutrient transporter genes, suggesting a fine control of nutrient uptake even under nutrient-replete conditions.
The controllable life cycle and the genome sequence of P. multistriata allow the reconstruction of changes occurring in diatoms in a key phase of their life cycle, providing hints on the evolution and putative function of their genes and empowering studies on sexual reproduction.
One lineage of pennate diatoms has a slit through the siliceous cell wall, called a “raphe,” that functions in motility. Raphid pennate diatoms number in the perhaps tens of thousands of species, ...with the diversity of raphe forms potentially matching this number. Three lineages—the Bacillariales, Rhopalodiales, and Surirellales—possess a complex and presumably highly derived raphe that is physically separated from the cell interior, most often by a set of siliceous braces. Because the relationship among these three lineages is unclear, the number of origins of the canal raphe system and the homology of it and its constitutive parts among these lineages, is equally unclear. We reconstructed the phylogeny of raphid pennate diatoms and included, for the first time, members of all three canal raphid diatom lineages, and used the phylogeny to test specific hypotheses about the origin of the canal raphe. The canal raphe appears to have evolved twice, once in the common ancestor of Bacillariales and once in the common ancestor of Rhopalodiales and Surirellales, which form a monophyletic group in our analyses. These results recommend careful follow-up morphogenesis studies of the canal raphe in these two lineages to determine the underlying developmental basis for this remarkable case of parallel evolution.
PDF
