High-value compound induction by flashing light in Diacronema lutheri and Tetraselmis striata CTP4

Phototrophic microalgae use light to produce biomass and high-value compounds, such as pigments and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), for food and feed. These biomolecules can be induced by flashing light during the final growth stage. We tested different exposure times (1–6 days) of flashing light (f = 0.5, 5, 50 Hz; duty cycle = 0.05) on biomass, pigment and fatty acid productivity in Diacronema lutheri and Tetraselmis striata. A three-day exposure to low-frequency (5 Hz) flashing light successfully increased the production of fucoxanthin, diatoxanthin, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids in D. lutheri up to 4.6-fold and of lutein, zeaxanthin and EPA in T. striata up to 1.3-fold compared to that of continuous light. Biomass productivity declined 2-fold for D. lutheri and remained similar for T. striata compared to that of continuous light. Thus, short-term treatments of flashing light may be promising for industrial algal production to increase biomass value.publishedVersio

Inhibitory effect of microalgae and cyanobacteria extracts on influenza virus replication and neuraminidase activity

Background The influenza virus can cause seasonal infections with mild to severe symptoms, circulating worldwide, and it can affect people in any age group. Therefore, this infection is a serious public health problem that causes severe illness and death in high-risk populations. Every year, 0.5% of the world’s population is infected by this pathogen. This percentage can increase up to ten times during pandemics. Influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent disease. In addition, anti-influenza drugs are essential for prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. The oseltamivir (OST, a neuraminidase inhibitor) is the primary antiviral used in clinics during outbreaks. However, OST resistant viruses may emerge naturally or due to antiviral pressure, with a prevalence of 1–2% worldwide. Thus, the search for new anti-influenza drugs is extremely important. Currently, several groups have been developing studies describing the biotechnological potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria, including antiviral activity of their extracts. In Brazil, this potential is poorly known and explored. Methods With the aim of increasing the knowledge on this topic, 38 extracts from microalgae and cyanobacteria isolated from marine and freshwater biomes in Brazil were tested against: cellular toxicity; OST-sensitive and resistant influenza replications; and neuraminidase activity. Results For this purpose, Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK)-infected cells were treated with 200 μg/mL of each extract. A total of 17 extracts (45%) inhibited influenza A replication, with seven of them resulting in more than 80% inhibition. Moreover, functional assays performed with viral neuraminidase revealed two extracts (from Leptolyngbya sp. and Chlorellaceae) with IC50 mean < 210 μg/mL for influenza A and B, and also OST-sensitive and resistant strains. Furthermore, MDCK cells exposed to 1 mg/mL of all the extracts showed viability higher than 80%. Discussion Our results suggest that extracts of microalgae and cyanobacteria have promising anti-influenza properties. Further chemical investigation should be conducted to isolate the active compounds for the development of new anti-influenza drugs. The data generated contribute to the knowledge of the biotechnological potential of Brazilian biomes that are still little explored for this purpose

Ectomycorrhiza in vitro between Hydnangium sp. and Eucalyptus grandis and sequences analysis of Hydnangium sp.

Hydnangium sp. é um fungo basidiomiceto capaz de formar ectomicorriza com espécies de Eucalyptus. Os sistemas de micorrização in vitro vêm sendo largamente utilizados para estudar interações micorrízicas, tornando-se um sistema simples e reproduzível para as análises de expressão de genes envolvidos na interação. Neste trabalho, a técnica de micorrização in vitro para a interação do fungo Hydnangium sp. com E. grandis foi realizada para as fases de colonização, diferenciação e funcionamento da ectomicorriza. A fase de colonização foi verificada após cinco dias de inoculação com Hydnangium sp., a fase de diferenciação após 10 dias e a fase de funcionamento após 20 dias de inoculação. A morfologia externa foi analisada por lupa e foram avaliados cortes microscópicos para a detecção do manto e da rede de Hartig. A extração de RNA total foi realizada para cada uma das fases, com o objetivo de analisar a expressão gênica. Entretanto, a quantidade de material proveniente de raízes de 130 plântulas para cada fase, foi insuficiente para a detecção de transcritos por meio de RTPCR. A análise dos íntrons das seqüências parciais dos genes que codificam ATP sintase (atp) e acetil-CoA acetiltransferase (aat) de Hydnangium sp. permitiu a identificação de dois íntrons na seqüência parcial do gene atp (53 e 65 pb), enquanto que na seqüência parcial do gene aat foram identificados três íntrons (52, 52 e 46 pb). Todos os íntrons analisados possuem a seqüência padrão 5 GT 3 AG no sítio de processamento, variando os nucleotídeos adjacentes. A análise filogenética, utilizando as seqüências parciais de aminoácidos deduzidas dos genes atp e aat, permitiu a separação correta dos grupos, corroborando a classificação do fungo Hydnangium sp. como pertencente à mesma família de Laccaria bicolor.Hydnangium sp. is a basidiomycetous fungus that is capable of forming ectomycorrhiza with Eucalyptus species. The in vitro mycorrhization system is widely used for mycorrhizal interactions studies, becoming a simple and reproducible system for the symbiosis-regulated genes expression analysis. In this work, the in vitro mycorrhization system for the Hydnangium sp. and Eucalyptus grandis interaction was performed for the colonization, differentiation and functioning phases for the ectomicorriza formation. The colonization phase were verified after five days of inoculation with the Hydnangium sp., the differentiation phase after ten days and the functioning phase after 20 days of inoculation. The extern morphology was analyzed by stereomicroscopy and the section microscopy was performed for the mantle and Hartig net detection. The total RNA extraction was performed for each phase, with the objective of to analyze genes expression. However, the material quantity from roots of 130 seedlings for each phase was insufficient for the transcripts detection through RTPCR. The intron analysis of the partial sequences of the genes that encode ATP sintase (atp) and acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase (aat) of Hydnangium sp. enabled two introns identification in partial sequence of atp gene (53 and 65 bp), while in partial sequence of aat gene were identified three introns (52, 52 e 46 bp). All introns analyzed have the canonical sequence 5 GT 3 AG on splicing sites, ranging the adjacent nucleotides. The phylogenetic analysis, using the partial sequences of amino acids of atp and aat genes, enabled the correct group separation, corroborating the Hydnangium sp. classification as belonging the same family of Laccaria bicolor.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superio

Insights into the potential of the Atlantic cod gut microbiome as biomarker of oil contamination in the marine environment

Background: Microorganisms are widespread in all environments, including in and on animal bodies. The gut microbiome has an essential influence on fish health, and is affected by several persistent and harmful organic and inorganic contaminants. Considering the shifts in gut microbiota composition observed in those studies, we hypothesized that certain microbial groups in the gut can serve as indicators of pollution. To test this hypothesis, we explored the possibility of identifying key microbial players that indicate environmental contamination. Methods: Published 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data generated from the gut microbiota of Atlantic cod caught in geographically different Norwegian waters were used for bacterial diversity comparison. Results: Different microbiomes were identified between the northern Norway and southern Norway samples. Several bacterial genera previously identified as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degraders were present only in the samples collected in the southern Norway area, suggesting fish contamination with oil-related compounds. Conclusions: The results contribute to the identification of bacterial taxa present in the Atlantic cod gut that indicate fish exposure to contaminants in the marine environment.publishedVersio

Ecogenomics and Taxonomy of Cyanobacteria Phylum

Cyanobacteria are major contributors to global biogeochemical cycles. The genetic diversity among Cyanobacteria enables them to thrive across many habitats, although only a few studies have analyzed the association of phylogenomic clades to specific environmental niches. In this study, we adopted an ecogenomics strategy with the aim to delineate ecological niche preferences of Cyanobacteria and integrate them to the genomic taxonomy of these bacteria. First, an appropriate phylogenomic framework was established using a set of genomic taxonomy signatures (including a tree based on conserved gene sequences, genome-to-genome distance, and average amino acid identity) to analyse ninety-nine publicly available cyanobacterial genomes. Next, the relative abundances of these genomes were determined throughout diverse global marine and freshwater ecosystems, using metagenomic data sets. The whole-genome-based taxonomy of the ninety-nine genomes allowed us to identify 57 (of which 28 are new genera) and 87 (of which 32 are new species) different cyanobacterial genera and species, respectively. The ecogenomic analysis allowed the distinction of three major ecological groups of Cyanobacteria (named as i. Low Temperature; ii. Low Temperature Copiotroph; and iii. High Temperature Oligotroph) that were coherently linked to the genomic taxonomy. This work establishes a new taxonomic framework for Cyanobacteria in the light of genomic taxonomy and ecogenomic approaches

Aclimatização de Dyckia maritima Baker (Bromeliaceae) em hidropônia

Dyckia maritima Baker é uma bromélia ornamental rupícola com flores amareloalaranjadas, arranjadas em uma inflorescência de 1-2,5 m de altura. Além disso, suas folhas não formam um receptáculo para a retenção de águas pluviais e por isto não permitem a proliferação dos mosquitos transmissores da malária (Reitz, 1983), o que justifica o seu uso paisagístico. A propagação in vitro tem demonstrado grande potencial em relação às técnicas convencionais como redução do tempo, espaço e custos (Grattapaglia & Machado, 1999), além de permitir a obtenção de um grande número de plantas geneticamente homogêneas (Droste et al., 2005). O maior problema que restringe o amplo uso comercial da micropropagação é a baixa taxa de sobrevivência das mudas produzidas in vitro durante a aclimatização ex vitro, que é resultante de uma alta perda de água pela transpiração (DíazPérez et al., 1995). Porém, a perda de água da planta pela evapotranspiração pode ser reposta diretamente pela solução nutritiva de um cultivo hidropônico. Desse modo, o uso da hidroponia pode elevar as taxas de sobrevivência e diminuir o tempo durante a aclimatização das mudas (Da Silva et al., 2006).    Durante a comparação dos processos de aclimatização convencional e hidropônico em Colocasia esculenta (Araceae), foi constatado que o processo hidropônico foi superior ao convencional. Após 30 dias de cultivo hidropônico, as plantas apresentaram maior taxa de sobrevivência, maior número de folhas e altura das plantas (NHUT et al., 2004). Um breve cultivo hidropônico durante a aclimatização de Cattleya tigrina (Orchidaceae) permitiu um aumento de 40% na taxa de sobrevivência das mudas em comparação com o processo não hidropônico (Da Silva et al., 2006). O objetivo deste trabalho foi estabelecer um protocolo de aclimatização para D. maritima em hidroponia

ENSAIOS SOBRE O ALONGAMENTO DE BROTOS DE Dyckia maritima Baker DISPOSTOS EM AGRUPAMENTOS - BROMELIACEAE

Agrupamentos de brotos laterais de Dyckia maritima obtidos por organogênese direta, apresentam dificuldade de manipulação durante a repicagem devido ao seu tamanho reduzido. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar um meio de cultura para o alongamento de brotos laterais dispostos em agrupamentos. Brotos laterais de Dyckia maritima foram submetidos a três diferentes experimentos. Um dos experimentos foi conduzido com as variações de 25, 50 e 100% da concentração de sais do meio de Murashige e Skoog (1962). Dois experimentos foram realizados com uso do ácido giberélico (GA3), sendo o primeiro com as concentrações de 0; 0,25; 0,5 e 1,0 mg L-1 e o segundo com as concentrações de 0; 1,0; 2,0; 3,0; 4,0 ou 5,0 mg L-1 de GA3. No experimento da variação de concentrações de sais do meio MS foi verificado um decréscimo da média do comprimento dos brotos e um decréscimo do incremento de massa em relação a diluição da concentração de sais do meio MS. No primeiro teste do experimento com ácido giberélico foi verificado que a média do comprimento dos brotos seguiu uma regresssão linear positiva, sugerindo um novo experimento com concentrações mais elevadas, porém o incremento de massa fresca apresentou uma regressão quadrática. No segundo teste com concentrações mais elevadas de GA3, a média do comprimento de brotos apresentou uma regressão quadrática, tendo a sua máxima eficiência técnica de 2,6 mg L-1 de GA3

Ecogenomics and Taxonomy of Cyanobacteria Phylum

Cyanobacteria are major contributors to global biogeochemical cycles. The genetic diversity among Cyanobacteria enables them to thrive across many habitats, although only a few studies have analyzed the association of phylogenomic clades to specific environmental niches. In this study, we adopted an ecogenomics strategy with the aim to delineate ecological niche preferences of Cyanobacteria and integrate them to the genomic taxonomy of these bacteria. First, an appropriate phylogenomic framework was established using a set of genomic taxonomy signatures (including a tree based on conserved gene sequences, genome-to-genome distance, and average amino acid identity) to analyse ninety-nine publicly available cyanobacterial genomes. Next, the relative abundances of these genomes were determined throughout diverse global marine and freshwater ecosystems, using metagenomic data sets. The whole-genome-based taxonomy of the ninety-nine genomes allowed us to identify 57 (of which 28 are new genera) and 87 (of which 32 are new species) different cyanobacterial genera and species, respectively. The ecogenomic analysis allowed the distinction of three major ecological groups of Cyanobacteria (named as i. Low Temperature; ii. Low Temperature Copiotroph; and iii. High Temperature Oligotroph) that were coherently linked to the genomic taxonomy. This work establishes a new taxonomic framework for Cyanobacteria in the light of genomic taxonomy and ecogenomic approaches