Insights into cell wall disintegration of Chlorella vulgaris

With their ability of CO2 fixation using sunlight as an energy source, algae and especially microalgae are moving into the focus for the production of proteins and other valuable compounds. However, the valorization of algal biomass depends on the effective disruption of the recalcitrant microalgal cell wall. Especially cell walls of Chlorella species proved to be very robust. The wall structures that are responsible for this robustness have been studied less so far. Here, we evaluate different common methods to break up the algal cell wall effectively and measure the success by protein and carbohydrate release. Subsequently, we investigate algal cell wall features playing a role in the wall’s recalcitrance towards disruption. Using different mechanical and chemical technologies, alkali catalyzed hydrolysis of the Chlorella vulgaris cells proved to be especially effective in solubilizing up to 56 wt% protein and 14 wt% carbohydrates of the total biomass. The stepwise degradation of C. vulgaris cell walls using a series of chemicals with increasingly strong conditions revealed that each fraction released different ratios of proteins and carbohydrates. A detailed analysis of the monosaccharide composition of the cell wall extracted in each step identified possible factors for the robustness of the cell wall. In particular, the presence of chitin or chitin-like polymers was indicated by glucosamine found in strong alkali extracts. The presence of highly ordered starch or cellulose was indicated by glucose detected in strong acidic extracts. Our results might help to tailor more specific efforts to disrupt Chlorella cell walls and help to valorize microalgae biomass.

The Cell Wall Proteome of Marchantia polymorpha Reveals Specificities Compared to Those of Flowering Plants

Primary plant cell walls are composite extracellular structures composed of three major classes of polysaccharides (pectins, hemicelluloses, and cellulose) and of proteins. The cell wall proteins (CWPs) play multiple roles during plant development and in response to environmental stresses by remodeling the polysaccharide and protein networks and acting in signaling processes. To date, the cell wall proteome has been mostly described in flowering plants and has revealed the diversity of the CWP families. In this article, we describe the cell wall proteome of an early divergent plant, Marchantia polymorpha, a Bryophyte which belong to one of the first plant species colonizing lands. It has been possible to identify 410 different CWPs from three development stages of the haploid gametophyte and they could be classified in the same functional classes as the CWPs of flowering plants. This result underlied the ability of M. polymorpha to sustain cell wall dynamics. However, some specificities of the M. polymorpha cell wall proteome could be highlighted, in particular the importance of oxido-reductases such as class III peroxidases and polyphenol oxidases, D-mannose binding lectins, and dirigent-like proteins. These proteins families could be related to the presence of specific compounds in the M. polymorpha cell walls, like mannans or phenolics. This work paves the way for functional studies to unravel the role of CWPs during M. polymorpha development and in response to environmental cues.

Jerveratrum-Type Steroidal Alkaloids Inhibit β-1,6-Glucan Biosynthesis in Fungal Cell Walls

Non- Candida albicans Candida species (NCAC) are on the rise as a cause of mycosis. Many antifungal drugs are less effective against NCAC, limiting the available therapeutic agents.

Decreasing the level of hemicelluloses in sow's lactation diet affects the milk composition and post-weaning performance of low birthweight piglets.

Hemicelluloses (HC) are polysaccharides constituents of the cell walls of plants. They are fermented in the gut to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA). The present study investigated the effects of decreasing HC level in sow's lactation diet on sow performances, offspring development and milk composition. From 110 days (d) of gestation until weaning (26±0.4 d post-farrowing), 40 Swiss Large White sows were assigned to one of the four dietary treatments: (1) T12 (HC: 120.6 g/kg), (2) T11 (HC: 107.6 g/kg), (3) T9 (HC: 86.4g/kg) and (4) T7 (HC: 71.9 g/kg). Milk was collected at 3 and 17d of lactation. At birth, piglets were divided into two groups according to their birthweight (BtW): normal (N-BtW; BtW > 1.20 kg) or low (L-BtW; BtW ≤ 1.20 kg). Decreased HC levels in the maternal diet linearly increased (P ≤ 0.05) the body weight of L-BtW piglets at two weeks post-weaning and linearly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) diarrhoea incidence and duration in this category. The concentrations of copper, threonine and VFA, as well as the proportion of butyrate, in milk linearly increased (P ≤ 0.05), whereas lactose content linearly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) with decreased HC in the maternal diet. The present study provides evidence that decreasing HC level in sow's lactation diet can positively affect the composition and VFA profile of milk and ultimately favour the growth and health of L-BtW piglets.

Phylogenomics reveals the evolutionary origin of lichenization in chlorophyte algae

Mutualistic symbioses, such as lichens formed between fungi and green algae or cyanobacteria, have contributed to major transitions in the evolution of life and are at the center of extant ecosystems. However, our understanding of their evolution and function remains elusive in most cases. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history and the molecular innovations at the origin of lichens in green algae. We de novo sequenced the genomes or transcriptomes of 15 lichen-forming and closely-related non-lichen-forming algae and performed comparative phylogenomics with 22 genomes previously generated. We identified more than 350 functional categories significantly enriched in chlorophyte green algae able to form lichens. Among them, functions such as light perception or resistance to dehydration were shared between lichenizing and other terrestrial algae but lost in non-terrestrial ones, indicating that the ability to live in terrestrial habitats is a prerequisite for lichens to evolve. We detected lichen-specific expansions of glycosyl hydrolase gene families known to remodel cell walls, including the glycosyl hydrolase 8 which was acquired in lichenizing Trebouxiophyceae by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria, concomitantly with the ability to form lichens. Mining genome-wide orthogroups, we found additional evidence supporting at least two independent origins of lichen-forming ability in chlorophyte green algae. We conclude that the lichen-forming ability evolved multiple times in chlorophyte green algae, following a two-step mechanism which involves an ancestral adaptation to terrestrial lifestyle and molecular innovations to modify the partners cell walls.

Duckweeds as Promising Food Feedstocks Globally

Duckweeds are the smallest flowering plants on Earth. They grow fast on water's surface and produce large amounts of biomass. Further, duckweeds display high adaptability, and species are found around the globe growing under different environmental conditions. In this work, we report the composition of 21 ecotypes of fourteen species of duckweeds belonging to the two sub-families of the group (Lemnoideae and Wolffioideae). It is reported the presence of starch and the composition of soluble sugars, cell walls, amino acids, phenolics, and tannins. These data were combined with literature data recovered from 85 publications to produce a compiled analysis that affords the examination of duckweeds as possible food sources for human consumption. We compare duckweeds compositions with some of the most common food sources and conclude that duckweed, which is already in use as food in Asia, can be an interesting food source anywhere in the world.

Effects of Yeast Product Addition and Fermentation Temperature on Lipid Composition, Taste and Mouthfeel Characteristics of Pinot Noir Wine

Lipids have important impacts on wine sensory. By targeting the lipid sources in wine, mainly from grape tissues and yeast cell walls, it was possible to alter the wine lipid profile thus potentially changing the final product quality. This research examined the changes of wine total lipids, lipid composition and sensory characteristics of Pinot noir wines in response to the winemaking factors, fermentation temperature and yeast product addition. Pinot noir grapes were fermented at 16 °C and 27 °C. After fermentation, Oenolees® yeast product was added to the wines at three levels (0 g/L, 0.5 g/L and 1.0 g/L). The six wine treatments were subjected to chemical analyses measuring total lipids and an untargeted lipidomic approach analyzing lipid composition. High temperature fermentation wines had significantly higher total lipid content. Random forest analysis distinguished the wine groups based on the 25 main lipids, including free fatty acids, acylcarnitines, diglycerides, triglycerides and phospholipids. Taste and mouthfeel characteristics of each treatment were assessed using descriptive analysis and check-all-that-apply (CATA) techniques. Multivariate analyses showed that changing fermentation temperature significantly impacted sweetness and drying perception in Pinot noir wines. Yeast product addition had nuanced effects on wine lipid profiles and sensory perception.

Micromorphology of endemic Centaurea glaberrima subsp. divergens (Asteraceae)

In this study, the micromorphology of the vegetative and reproductive structures of the endemic Centaurea glaberrima Tausch subsp. divergens (Vis.) Hayek (Asteraceae), using scanning electron microscope (SEM), is presented for the first time. Uniseriate whip-like non-glandular and biseriate glandular trichomes are found on the surface of all aboveground parts (stem, leaves, peduncles, involucral bract). On the adaxial leaf epidermis ribbed thickenings (striation pattern) of outer periclinal cell walls, slightly curved anticlinal cell walls and anomocytic stomata are noticed. Rugose abaxial surface with thorny protuberances of the involucral bract is documented. Corolla is glabrous with longitudinally parallel epidermal cells with distinct straight outline. Isopolar, radially symmetric and tricolporate microechinate pollen grains are seen. Short stylar hairs, without cuticular striations, are present along the outer sides of the style, while the inner sides (abaxial surface) constitute the papillate stigmatic surface. Microcharacters found in cypsela are as follows: slightly ribbed body; rotund base; lateral and concave insertion; short, unicellular curly acute trichomes; smooth epidermis; fine-sulcate ornamentation; rod shaped epidermal cells with short, obtuse end walls and straight anticlinal walls; poorly developed minutely dentate pericarp rim; and dimorphic pappus with bristles of different length and morphology, with pinnules restricted to the margins of the bristles. The results obtained contribute to knowledge about the micromorphology of the studied endemic species and provide features for its better identification. The taxonomic significance of the analyzed characters is discussed. Some well defined microcharacters of the studied species might have taxonomic value

Delayed differentiation of epidermal cells walls can underlie pedomorphosis in plants: the case of pedomorphic petals in the hummingbird-pollinated Caiophora hibiscifolia (Loasaceae, subfam. Loasoideae) species

Background Understanding the relationship between macroevolutionary diversity and variation in organism development is an important goal of evolutionary biology. Variation in the morphology of several plant and animal lineages is attributed to pedomorphosis, a case of heterochrony, where an ancestral juvenile shape is retained in an adult descendant. Pedomorphosis facilitated morphological adaptation in different plant lineages, but its cellular and molecular basis needs further exploration. Plant development differs from animal development in that cells are enclosed by cell walls and do not migrate. Moreover, in many plant lineages, the differentiated epidermis of leaves, and leaf-derived structures, such as petals, limits organ growth. We, therefore, proposed that pedomorphosis in leaves, and in leaf-derived structures, results from delayed differentiation of epidermal cells with respect to reproductive maturity. This idea was explored for petal evolution, given the importance of corolla morphology for angiosperm reproductive success. Results By comparing cell morphology and transcriptional profiles between 5 mm flower buds and mature flowers of an entomophile and an ornitophile Loasoideae species (a lineage that experienced transitions from bee- to hummingbird-pollination), we show that evolution of pedomorphic petals of the ornithophile species likely involved delayed differentiation of epidermal cells with respect to flower maturity. We also found that developmental mechanisms other than pedomorphosis might have contributed to evolution of corolla morphology. Conclusions Our results highlight a need for considering alternatives to the flower-centric perspective when studying the origin of variation in flower morphology, as this can be generated by developmental processes that are also shared with leaves. Graphical Abstract

Apoplastic CBM1-interacting proteins bind conserved carbohydrate binding module 1 motifs in fungal hydrolases to counter pathogen invasion

When infecting plants, fungal pathogens secrete cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) that break down cellulose and hemicellulose, the primary components of plant cell walls. Some fungal CWDEs contain a unique domain, named the carbohydrate binding module (CBM), that facilitates their access to polysaccharides. However, little is known about how plants counteract pathogen degradation of their cell walls. Here, we show that the rice cysteine-rich repeat secretion protein OsCBMIP binds to and inhibits xylanase MoCel10A of the blast fungus pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, interfering with its access to the rice cell wall and degradation of rice xylan. We found binding of OsCBMIP to various CBM1-containing enzymes, suggesting it has a general role in inhibiting the catalytic activities of fungal enzymes. OsCBMIP is localized to the apoplast, and its expression is strongly induced in leaves infected with M. oryzae. Remarkably, knockdown of OsCBMIP reduced rice defense against M. oryzae, demonstrating that inhibition of CBM1-containing fungal enzymes by OsCBMIP is crucial for rice defense. We also identified additional CBMIP-related proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana and Setaria italica, indicating that a wide range of plants counteract pathogens through this mechanism.