scholarly journals Filamentous cyanobacteria preserved in masses of fungal hyphae from the Triassic of Antarctica

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla J. Harper ◽  
Edith L. Taylor ◽  
Michael Krings
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Diversity ◽  
Middle Triassic ◽  
First Record ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Environmental Setting ◽  
Fungal Hyphae ◽  
Mineral Replacement ◽  
Fossil Genus

Permineralized peat from the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica has provided a wealth of information on plant and fungal diversity in Middle Triassic high-latitude forest paleoecosystems; however, there are no reports as yet of algae or cyanobacteria. The first record of a fossil filamentous cyanobacterium in this peat consists of wide, uniseriate trichomes composed of discoid cells up to 25 µm wide, and enveloped in a distinct sheath. Filament morphology, structurally preserved by permineralization and mineral replacement, corresponds to the fossil genus Palaeo-lyngbya, a predominantly Precambrian equivalent of the extant Lyngbya sensu lato (Oscillatoriaceae, Oscillatoriales). Specimens occur exclusively in masses of interwoven hyphae produced by the fungus Endochaetophora antarctica, suggesting that a special micro-environmental setting was required to preserve the filaments. Whether some form of symbiotic relationship existed between the fungus and cyanobacterium remains unknown.

scholarly journals Identification of Putative Biosynthetic Gene Clusters for Tolyporphins in Multiple Filamentous Cyanobacteria

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 758
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Jin ◽  
Yunlong Zhang ◽  
Ran Zhang ◽  
Kathy-Uyen Nguyen ◽  
Jonathan S. Lindsey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Cluster ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Clusters ◽  
Common Component ◽  
Homology Searching ◽  
Similar Gene

Tolyporphins A–R are unusual tetrapyrrole macrocycles produced by the non-axenic filamentous cyanobacterium HT-58-2. A putative biosynthetic gene cluster for biosynthesis of tolyporphins (here termed BGC-1) was previously identified in the genome of HT-58-2. Here, homology searching of BGC-1 in HT-58-2 led to identification of similar BGCs in seven other filamentous cyanobacteria, including strains Nostoc sp. 106C, Nostoc sp. RF31YmG, Nostoc sp. FACHB-892, Brasilonema octagenarum UFV-OR1, Brasilonema octagenarum UFV-E1, Brasilonema sennae CENA114 and Oculatella sp. LEGE 06141, suggesting their potential for tolyporphins production. A similar gene cluster (BGC-2) also was identified unexpectedly in HT-58-2. Tolyporphins BGCs were not identified in unicellular cyanobacteria. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA and a common component of the BGCs, TolD, points to a close evolutionary history between each strain and their respective tolyporphins BGC. Though identified with putative tolyporphins BGCs, examination of pigments extracted from three cyanobacteria has not revealed the presence of tolyporphins. Overall, the identification of BGCs and potential producers of tolyporphins presents a collection of candidate cyanobacteria for genetic and biochemical analysis pertaining to these unusual tetrapyrrole macrocycles.

On Candinia (Sacoglossa: Juliidae), a new fossil genus of bivalved gastropods

1996 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Le Renard ◽  
Bruno Sabelli ◽  
Marco Taviani
Keyword(s):  
New Genus ◽  
First Record ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Shallow Marine ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
The Family ◽  
Life Habits ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Fossil Genus ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The record of the fossil representatives of the family Juliidae is updated. The new genus Candinia is proposed, in the subfamily Juliinae, for two fossil species somewhat intermediate between Julia and Berthelinia. The new species Candinia pliocaenica is recorded from the lower Pliocene shallow marine deposits near Siena (Tuscany, Italy). This is the first record of Sacoglossa in the Mediterranean Basin. Based on the very specialized life habits of the Juliidae, it is suggested that subtropical Caulerpa algal prairies inhabited the Mediterranean during the early Pliocene, likely becoming extinct in this basin because of the mid-Pliocene climatic deterioration.

scholarly journals A Tripartite, Hierarchical Sigma Factor Cascade Promotes Hormogonium Development in the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme

mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Gonzalez ◽  
Kelsey W. Riley ◽  
Thomas V. Harwood ◽  
Esthefani G. Zuniga ◽  
Douglas D. Risser
Keyword(s):  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Sigma Factors ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Nostoc Punctiforme ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nitrogen Cycles

ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis, and frequently, nitrogen fixation as well. As a result, they contribute substantially to global primary production and nitrogen cycles. Furthermore, the multicellular filamentous cyanobacteria in taxonomic subsections IV and V are developmentally complex, exhibiting an array of differentiated cell types and filaments, including motile hormogonia, making them valuable model organisms for studying development. To investigate the role of sigma factors in the gene regulatory network (GRN) controlling hormogonium development, a combination of genetic, immunological, and time-resolved transcriptomic analyses were conducted in the model filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme, which, unlike other common model cyanobacteria, retains the developmental complexity of field isolates. The results support a model where the hormogonium GRN is driven by a hierarchal sigma factor cascade, with sigJ activating the expression of both sigC and sigF, as well as a substantial portion of additional hormogonium-specific genes, including those driving changes to cellular architecture. In turn, sigC regulates smaller subsets of genes for several processes, plays a dominant role in promoting reductive cell division, and may also both positively and negatively regulate sigJ to reinforce the developmental program and coordinate the timing of gene expression, respectively. In contrast, the sigF regulon is extremely limited. Among genes with characterized roles in hormogonium development, only pilA shows stringent sigF dependence. For sigJ-dependent genes, a putative consensus promoter was also identified, consisting primarily of a highly conserved extended −10 region, here designated a J-Box, which is widely distributed among diverse members of the cyanobacterial lineage. IMPORTANCE Cyanobacteria are integral to global carbon and nitrogen cycles, and their metabolic capacity coupled with their ease of genetic manipulation make them attractive platforms for applications such as biomaterial and biofertilizer production. Achieving these goals will likely require a detailed understanding and precise rewiring of these organisms’ GRNs. The complex phenotypic plasticity of filamentous cyanobacteria has also made them valuable models of prokaryotic development. However, current research has been limited by focusing primarily on a handful of model strains which fail to reflect the phenotypes of field counterparts, potentially limiting biotechnological advances and a more comprehensive understanding of developmental complexity. Here, using Nostoc punctiforme, a model filamentous cyanobacterium that retains the developmental range of wild isolates, we define previously unknown definitive roles for a trio of sigma factors during hormogonium development. These findings substantially advance our understanding of cyanobacterial development and gene regulation and could be leveraged for future applications.

First record of a symbiotic relationship between a polyclad and a black coral with description of Anthoplana antipathellae gen. et sp. nov. (Acotylea, Notoplanidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 2549-2570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzia Bo ◽  
Giorgio Bavestrello ◽  
Giorgia Di Muzio ◽  
Simonepietro Canese ◽  
Federico Betti
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Black Coral

scholarly journals A Putative O-Linked β-N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase Is Essential for Hormogonium Development and Motility in the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Behzad Khayatan ◽  
Divleen K. Bains ◽  
Monica H. Cheng ◽  
Ye Won Cho ◽  
Jessica Huynh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Genetic Screen ◽  
Molecular Regulation ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Nostoc Punctiforme ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Content Type ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Acetylglucosamine Transferase

ABSTRACT Most species of filamentous cyanobacteria are capable of gliding motility, likely via a conserved type IV pilus-like system that may also secrete a motility-associated polysaccharide. In a subset of these organisms, motility is achieved only after the transient differentiation of hormogonia, which are specialized filaments that enter a nongrowth state dedicated to motility. Despite the fundamental importance of hormogonia to the life cycles of many filamentous cyanobacteria, the molecular regulation of hormogonium development is largely undefined. To systematically identify genes essential for hormogonium development and motility in the model heterocyst-forming filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme, a forward genetic screen was employed. The first gene identified using this screen, designated ogtA, encodes a putative O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT). The deletion of ogtA abolished motility, while ectopic expression of ogtA induced hormogonium development even under hormogonium-repressing conditions. Transcription of ogtA is rapidly upregulated (1 h) following hormogonium induction, and an OgtA-GFPuv fusion protein localized to the cytoplasm. In developing hormogonia, accumulation of PilA but not HmpD is dependent on ogtA. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis indicated equivalent levels of pilA transcript in the wild-type and ΔogtA mutant strains, while a reporter construct consisting of the intergenic region in the 5′ direction of pilA fused to gfp produced lower levels of fluorescence in the ΔogtA mutant strain than in the wild type. The production of hormogonium polysaccharide in the ΔogtA mutant strain is reduced compared to that in the wild type but comparable to that in a pilA deletion strain. Collectively, these results imply that O-GlcNAc protein modification regulates the accumulation of PilA via a posttranscriptional mechanism in developing hormogonia. IMPORTANCE Filamentous cyanobacteria are among the most developmentally complex prokaryotes. Species such as Nostoc punctiforme develop an array of cell types, including nitrogen-fixing heterocysts, spore-like akinetes, and motile hormogonia, that function in dispersal as well as the establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbioses with plants and fungi. These symbioses are major contributors to global nitrogen fixation. Despite the fundamental importance of hormogonia to the life cycle of filamentous cyanobacteria and the establishment of symbioses, the molecular regulation of hormogonium development is largely undefined. We employed a genetic screen to identify genes essential for hormogonium development and motility in Nostoc punctiforme. The first gene identified using this screen encodes a eukaryotic-like O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine transferase that is required for accumulation of PilA in hormogonia.

scholarly journals Intercellular Diffusion of a Fluorescent Sucrose Analog via the Septal Junctions in a Filamentous Cyanobacterium

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis J. Nürnberg ◽  
Vicente Mariscal ◽  
Jan Bornikoel ◽  
Mercedes Nieves-Morión ◽  
Norbert Krauß ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Junctions ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Nitrogen Fixing ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Triple Mutant ◽  
Vegetative Cells ◽  
Metabolite Exchange ◽  
Import System

ABSTRACTMany filamentous cyanobacteria produce specialized nitrogen-fixing cells called heterocysts, which are located at semiregular intervals along the filament with about 10 to 20 photosynthetic vegetative cells in between. Nitrogen fixation in these complex multicellular bacteria depends on metabolite exchange between the two cell types, with the heterocysts supplying combined-nitrogen compounds but dependent on the vegetative cells for photosynthetically produced carbon compounds. Here, we used a fluorescent tracer to probe intercellular metabolite exchange in the filamentous heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. We show that esculin, a fluorescent sucrose analog, is incorporated by a sucrose import system into the cytoplasm of Anabaena cells. The cytoplasmic esculin is rapidly and reversibly exchanged across vegetative-vegetative and vegetative-heterocyst cell junctions. Our measurements reveal the kinetics of esculin exchange and also show that intercellular metabolic communication is lost in a significant fraction of older heterocysts. SepJ, FraC, and FraD are proteins located at the intercellular septa and are suggested to form structures analogous to gap junctions. We show that a ΔsepJΔfraCΔfraDtriple mutant shows an altered septum structure with thinner septa but a denser peptidoglycan layer. Intercellular diffusion of esculin and fluorescein derivatives is impaired in this mutant, which also shows a greatly reduced frequency of nanopores in the intercellular septal cross walls. These findings suggest that FraC, FraD, and SepJ are important for the formation of junctional structures that constitute the major pathway for feeding heterocysts with sucrose.IMPORTANCEAnabaena and its relatives are filamentous cyanobacteria that exhibit a sophisticated form of prokaryotic multicellularity, with the formation of differentiated cell types, including normal photosynthetic cells and specialized nitrogen-fixing cells called heterocysts. The question of how heterocysts communicate and exchange metabolites with other cells in the filament is key to understanding this form of bacterial multicellularity. Here we provide the first information on the intercellular exchange of a physiologically important molecule, sucrose. We show that a fluorescent sucrose analog can be imported into the Anabaena cytoplasm by a sucrose import system. Once in the cytoplasm, it is rapidly and reversibly exchanged among all of the cells in the filament by diffusion across the septal junctions. Photosynthetically produced sucrose likely follows the same route from cytoplasm to cytoplasm. We identify some of the septal proteins involved in sucrose exchange, and our results indicate that these proteins form structures functionally analogous to metazoan gap junctions.

scholarly journals Viruses Infecting a Freshwater Filamentous Cyanobacterium (Nostocsp.) Encode a Functional CRISPR Array and a Proteobacterial DNA Polymerase B

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Chénard ◽  
Jennifer F. Wirth ◽  
Curtis A. Suttle
Keyword(s):  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectory ◽  
Crispr Array ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pcc 7120

ABSTRACT  Here we present the first genomic characterization of viruses infectingNostoc, a genus of ecologically important cyanobacteria that are widespread in freshwater. Cyanophages A-1 and N-1 were isolated in the 1970s and infectNostocsp. strain PCC 7210 but remained genomically uncharacterized. Their 68,304- and 64,960-bp genomes are strikingly different from those of other sequenced cyanophages. Many putative genes that code for proteins with known functions are similar to those found in filamentous cyanobacteria, showing a long evolutionary history in their host. Cyanophage N-1 encodes a CRISPR array that is transcribed during infection and is similar to the DR5 family of CRISPRs commonly found in cyanobacteria. The presence of a host-related CRISPR array in a cyanophage suggests that the phage can transfer the CRISPR among related cyanobacteria and thereby provide resistance to infection with competing phages. Both viruses also encode a distinct DNA polymerase B that is closely related to those found in plasmids ofCyanothecesp. strain PCC 7424,Nostocsp. strain PCC 7120, andAnabaena variabilisATCC 29413. These polymerases form a distinct evolutionary group that is more closely related to DNA polymerases of proteobacteria than to those of other viruses. This suggests that the polymerase was acquired from a proteobacterium by an ancestral virus and transferred to the cyanobacterial plasmid. Many other open reading frames are similar to a prophage-like element in the genome ofNostocsp. strain PCC 7524. TheNostoccyanophages reveal a history of gene transfers between filamentous cyanobacteria and their viruses that have helped to forge the evolutionary trajectory of this previously unrecognized group of phages.IMPORTANCEFilamentous cyanobacteria belonging to the genusNostocare widespread and ecologically important in freshwater, yet little is known about the genomic content of their viruses. Here we report the first genomic analysis of cyanophages infecting filamentous freshwater cyanobacteria, revealing that their gene content is unlike that of other cyanophages. In addition to sharing many gene homologues with freshwater cyanobacteria, cyanophage N-1 encodes a CRISPR array and expresses it upon infection. Also, both viruses contain a DNA polymerase B-encoding gene with high similarity to genes found in proteobacterial plasmids of filamentous cyanobacteria. The observation that phages can acquire CRISPRs from their hosts suggests that phages can also move them among hosts, thereby conferring resistance to competing phages. The presence in these cyanophages of CRISPR and DNA polymerase B sequences, as well as a suite of other host-related genes, illustrates the long and complex evolutionary history of these viruses and their hosts.

scholarly journals Allelopathic effect of Ulva intestinalis L. on the Baltic filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc sp.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gracjana Budzałek ◽  
Sylwia Śliwińska-Wilczewska ◽  
Adam Latała
Keyword(s):  
Control Treatment ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Allelopathic Effect ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Initial Amount ◽  
Ulva Intestinalis ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
First Time

Allelopathy is a prevalent natural phenomenon in aquatic ecosystem. We reported the effects of the green macroalga Ulva intestinalis L. collected from estuaries of the Baltic Sea (Poland) on the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence of common filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. It was found that the addition of 50 µL mL–1 extracts obtained from U. intestinalis inhibited growth of cyanobacterium and after one week of exposition the reduction was 35% of initial amount of Nostoc sp. In addition, we demonstrated that on the seventh day of the exposition, the values of Fv/Fm of target cyanobacterium after addition of 100 µL mL–1 extracts obtained from U. intestinalis was reduced to 49%, compared to control treatment. These results showed for the first time the allelopathic activity of U. intestinalis on Baltic filamentous cyanobacteria Nostoc sp.

scholarly journals Cyanobacterial Transposons Tn5469 and Tn5541 Represent a Novel Noncomposite Transposon Family

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (22) ◽  
pp. 6059-6063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Schaefer ◽  
Katherine Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Dna Hybridization ◽  
Unknown Function ◽  
Hybridization Analysis ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacteria ◽  
Fremyella Diplosiphon ◽  
Distinguishing Features

ABSTRACT A noncomposite transposon, designated Tn5541, was isolated from strain Fd33 of the filamentous cyanobacteriumFremyella diplosiphon UTEX 481. Sequence analysis showed that Tn5541 is structurally and genetically very similar to Tn5469, which is also endogenous to F. diplosiphon. Both Tn5469 and Tn5541encode homologous forms of an unusual composite transposase and a protein of unknown function. DNA hybridization analysis showed that like Tn5469, Tn5541 was not widely distributed among cyanobacterial genera. A similar analysis showed that Tn5469 and Tn5541 were equally limited to and present as multiple genomic copies in three of six distinct strains comprising the Tolypothrix 1 cluster of heterocyst-forming filamentous cyanobacteria. These and other distinguishing features suggest that Tn5469 and Tn5541 represent a novel noncomposite transposon family.

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