1. Temporal Patterns and Intra- and Inter-Cellular Variability in Carbon and Nitrogen Assimilation by the Unicellular Cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142
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Lubos Polerecky, Takako Masuda, Meri Eichner, Sophie Rabouille, Marie Vancová, Michiel V. M. Kienhuis, Gabor Bernát, Jose Bonomi-Barufi, Douglas Andrew Campbell, Pascal Claquin, Jan Červený, Mario Giordano, Eva Kotabová, Jacco Kromkamp, Ana Teresa Lombardi, Martin Lukeš, Ondrej Prášil, Susanne Stephan, David Suggett, Tomas Zavřel, and Kimberly H. Halsey
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Crocosphaera subtropica (former Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142) ,Cyanothece ,photosynthesis ,carbon fixation ,nitrogen fixation ,nanoSIMS ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 - Abstract
Unicellular nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria (UCYN) are abundant members of phytoplankton communities in a wide range of marine environments, including those with rapidly changing nitrogen (N) concentrations. We hypothesized that differences in N availability (N2 vs. combined N) would cause UCYN to shift strategies of intracellular N and C allocation. We used transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging to track assimilation and intracellular allocation of 13C-labeled CO2 and 15N-labeled N2 or NO3 at different periods across a diel cycle in Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. We present new ideas on interpreting these imaging data, including the influences of pre-incubation cellular C and N contents and turnover rates of inclusion bodies. Within cultures growing diazotrophically, distinct subpopulations were detected that fixed N2 at night or in the morning. Additional significant within-population heterogeneity was likely caused by differences in the relative amounts of N assimilated into cyanophycin from sources external and internal to the cells. Whether growing on N2 or NO3, cells prioritized cyanophycin synthesis when N assimilation rates were highest. N assimilation in cells growing on NO3 switched from cyanophycin synthesis to protein synthesis, suggesting that once a cyanophycin quota is met, it is bypassed in favor of protein synthesis. Growth on NO3 also revealed that at night, there is a very low level of CO2 assimilation into polysaccharides simultaneous with their catabolism for protein synthesis. This study revealed multiple, detailed mechanisms underlying C and N management in Cyanothece that facilitate its success in dynamic aquatic environments.
- Published
- 2021
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