scholarly journals A metabolic lens on phytoplankton physiology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Craig McLean

hytoplankton are communities of diverse groups of prokaryotic and eukaryotic single-celled organisms responsible for nearly 50% of global primary production. The relative abundance of individual groups changes dynamically in response to environmental perturbations. Recent studies suggest that such changes are primarily driven by the distinct physiological responses employed by each group towards a particular perturbation. Although knowledge of some of these responses has come to light in recent years, many aspects of their metabolisms remain unknown. We attempt to address this gap by studying the metabolism of several phytoplankton groups using metabolomics. Firstly, we developed a method to enhance the analysis of untargeted metabolomics data. Secondly, we constructed two conceptual models describing how metabolism of the raphidophyte Heterosigma akashiwo responds to phosphorus and nitrogen stress. These conceptual models revealed several new stress response mechanisms not previously reported in other phytoplankton. Finally, we compared the metabolic changes of several distinct phytoplankton groups to uncover possible adaptation and acclimations that distinguish them. This analysis revealed several pathways and metabolites that represent the studied groups. The contributions of these pathways and metabolites towards physiology may support the ecological fitness of these organisms.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten P. Stone ◽  
Sujoy Ghosh ◽  
Jean Paul Kovalik ◽  
Manda Orgeron ◽  
Desiree Wanders ◽  
...  

AbstractThe initial sensing of dietary methionine restriction (MR) occurs in the liver where it activates an integrated stress response (ISR) that quickly reduces methionine utilization. The ISR program is regulated in part by ATF4, but ATF4’s prototypical upstream regulator, eIF2α, is not acutely activated by MR. Bioinformatic analysis of RNAseq and metabolomics data from liver samples harvested 3 h and 6 h after initiating MR shows that general translation is inhibited at the level of ternary complex formation by an acute 50% reduction of hepatic methionine that limits formation of initiator methionine tRNA. The resulting ISR is induced by selective expression of ATF4 target genes that mediate adaptation to reduced methionine intake and return hepatic methionine to control levels within 4 days of starting the diet. Complementary in vitro experiments in HepG2 cells after knockdown of ATF4, or inhibition of mTOR or Erk1/2 support the conclusion that the early induction of genes by MR is partially dependent on ATF4 and regulated by both mTOR and Erk1/2. Taken together, these data show that initiation of dietary MR induces an mTOR- and Erk1/2-dependent stress response that is linked to ATF4 by the sharp, initial drop in hepatic methionine and resulting repression of translation pre-initiation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1373-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishikant Wase ◽  
Paul N. Black ◽  
Bruce A. Stanley ◽  
Concetta C. DiRusso

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent Wilson

Abstract. Foraminiferal communities are not static, but change in response to environmental perturbations. Given sufficient time, the change will be recorded in the total (live+dead) seafloor assemblage, from which valuable information regarding environmental trends can be obtained by re-sampling assemblages at the decadal scale.The seafloor assemblage in the 5 km × 6 km Ibis Field, off southeast Trinidad, first surveyed in 1953, was re-examined in 2005. The fauna had changed markedly between the surveys. Overall increases in the proportional abundances of Uvigerina subperegrina, Ammonia pauciloculata/Rolhausenia rolhauseni and Pseudononion atlanticum indicate an increase in nutrient supply that apparently killed off Cibicidoides pseudoungerianus and Miliolinella subrotunda, and reduced the relative abundance of Hanzawaia concentrica, but did not affect the relative abundance of Cancris sagrai. As shown by similar 1953 and 2005 planktonic/benthonic foraminiferal ratios, the increased nutrient supply impacted on both surface and bottom waters.Of the six most abundant species in 2005, five showed the same general biogeographical distributions within the field in 1953 and 2005. However, whereas the proportional abundance of Uvigerina subperegrina in 1953 increased southwards, in 2005 it increased northwards.Trinidad cannot be the source for the nutrient enrichment: the island lies down-current from the Ibis Field. Sources must therefore be sought up-current and to the southeast, in the Amazon, Essequibo and Orinoco river basins, or along the South American shoreline. It is speculated that the nutrient enrichment may be a consequence of increased phytoplankton primary production associated with nitrogen-rich run-off from South American sugarcane plantations, or from flushing of organic carbon from poorly regulated sewage systems or shrimp farms in South America.


2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1249-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo José Gil Barcellos ◽  
Filipe Ritter ◽  
Luiz Carlos Kreutz ◽  
Leonardo Bolognesi da Silva ◽  
Leonardo Cericato ◽  
...  

This paper provides the first data about physiological responses to stress in jundiá (Rhamdia quelen) exposed to different light colours. Jundiá is a species for fish production in the southern part of South America - and suitable for any region with a temperate or subtropical climates. In order to develop a light management for jundiá fingerlings during indoor maintenance and to understand the relationship between welfare and light colour in the jundiá, fingerlings were exposed to white, blue and green light. At the 10th day of light exposure an acute stressor was imposed. One hour after the application of the stressor, fish were sampled. Stress was assessed by means of cortisol determination. Our results show that green light seems to be the worst alternative to illuminate jundiá indoor experimentation facilities, or even fish transportation. The results also suggests that colour affects the stress response of jundia, and may be usefull for the management of this species.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1671-1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Meyer ◽  
U. Riebesell

Abstract. Concerning their sensitivity to ocean acidification, coccolithophores, a group of calcifying single-celled phytoplankton, are one of the best-studied groups of marine organisms. However, in spite of the large number of studies investigating coccolithophore physiological responses to ocean acidification, uncertainties still remain due to variable and partly contradictory results. In the present study we have used all existing data in a meta-analysis to estimate the effect size of future pCO2 changes on the rates of calcification and photosynthesis and the ratio of particulate inorganic to organic carbon (PIC / POC) in different coccolithophore species. Our results indicate that ocean acidification has a negative effect on calcification and the cellular PIC / POC ratio in the two most abundant coccolithophore species: Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. In contrast, the more heavily calcified species Coccolithus braarudii did not show a distinct response when exposed to elevated pCO2/reduced pH. Photosynthesis in Gephyrocapsa oceanica was positively affected by high CO2, while no effect was observed for the other coccolithophore species. There was no indication that the method of carbonate chemistry manipulation was responsible for the inconsistent results regarding observed responses in calcification and the PIC / POC ratio. The perturbation method, however, appears to affect photosynthesis, as responses varied significantly between total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) manipulations. These results emphasize that coccolithophore species respond differently to ocean acidification, both in terms of calcification and photosynthesis. Where negative effects occur, they become evident at CO2 levels in the range projected for this century in the case of unabated CO2 emissions. As the data sets used in this meta-analysis do not account for adaptive responses, ecological fitness and ecosystem interactions, the question remains as to how these physiological responses play out in the natural environment.


2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (10) ◽  
pp. 2473-2481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana N. Yurgel ◽  
Jennifer Rice ◽  
Monika Mulder ◽  
Michael L. Kahn

ABSTRACT The Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021ΔglnD-sm2 mutant, which is predicted to make a GlnD nitrogen sensor protein truncated at its amino terminus, fixes nitrogen in symbiosis with alfalfa, but the plants cannot use this nitrogen for growth (S. N. Yurgel and M. L. Kahn, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 105:18958-18963, 2008). The mutant also has a generalized nitrogen stress response (NSR) defect. These results suggest a connection between GlnD, symbiotic metabolism, and the NSR, but the nature of this connection is unknown. In many bacteria, GlnD modifies the PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, as it transduces a measurement of bacterial nitrogen status to a cellular response. We have now constructed and analyzed Rm1021 mutants missing GlnB, GlnK, or both proteins. Rm1021ΔglnKΔglnB was much more defective in its NSR than either single mutant, suggesting that GlnB and GlnK overlap in regulating the NSR in free-living Rm1021. The single mutants and the double mutant all formed an effective symbiosis, indicating that symbiotic nitrogen exchange could occur without the need for either GlnB or GlnK. N-terminal truncation of the GlnD protein interfered with PII protein modification in vitro, suggesting either that unmodified PII proteins were responsible for the glnD mutant's ineffective phenotype or that connecting GlnD and appropriate symbiotic behavior does not require the PII proteins.


2002 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1113-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Lindell ◽  
Deana Erdner ◽  
Dominique Marie ◽  
Ondřej Prášil ◽  
Michal Koblí žek ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Lijuan Yao ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Zutao Zhou ◽  
Deshi Shi ◽  
Zili Li ◽  
...  

The gut microbiota represents a source of genetic and metabolic diversity of a complex polymicrobial ecosystem within its host. To investigate age-based variations of the gut microbiota among Shennongjia golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana hubeiensis), we characterized the microbial species in fecal samples from 18 Shennongjia golden snub-nosed monkeys evenly pooled into 3 aged groups (Group 1, 1-3 years; Group 2, 5-8 years; Group 3, above 12 years) in Shennongjia, Hubei Province, China. Genomic DNA was extracted from fecal samples, and the 16S rRNA gene V4 region was sequenced using the Illumina high-throughput MiSeq platform PE250. A total of 28 microbial phyla were identified in the gut microbiome of these monkeys with the ten most abundant phyla (i.e., Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Spirochaetes, Tenericutes, Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Fibrobacteres, Cyanobacteria, and Euryarchaeota). A total of 1,469 (of 16 phyla and 166 genera), 1,381 (of 16 phyla and 157 genera), and 1,931 (of 19 phyla and 190 genera) operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were revealed in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, with Group 3 containing the most diverse groups of OTUs as revealed by the species relative abundance clustering analysis. These results suggest that the gut microbiota in these monkeys maintain a dynamic status, starting from the early developmental stages of life with the species relative abundance increasing with age. This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the gut microbiota and provide valuable information for monitoring the health and nutritional needs of this endangered primate at different ages.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document