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Title: Novel Metabolic Attributes of the Genus Cyanothece, Comprising a Group of Unicellular Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacteria

Journal Article · · mBio (Online)
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [1]
  1. Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). Dept. of Biology
  2. H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Inst., Tampa, FL (United States). Biomedical Informatics Core
  3. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (Unites States). Dept. of Biological Sciences
  4. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (Unites States). Dept. of Biological Sciences
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The genus Cyanothece comprises unicellular cyanobacteria that are morphologically diverse and ecologically versatile. Studies over the last decade have established members of this genus to be important components of the marine ecosystem, contributing significantly to the nitrogen and carbon cycle. System-level studies of Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142, a prototypic member of this group, revealed many interesting metabolic attributes. To identify the metabolic traits that define this class of cyanobacteria, five additional Cyanothece strains were sequenced to completion. The presence of a large, contiguous nitrogenase gene cluster and the ability to carry out aerobic nitrogen fixation distinguish Cyanothece as a genus of unicellular, aerobic nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. Cyanothece cells can create an anoxic intracellular environment at night, allowing oxygen-sensitive processes to take place in these oxygenic organisms. Large carbohydrate reserves accumulate in the cells during the day, ensuring sufficient energy for the processes that require the anoxic phase of the cells. Our study indicates that this genus maintains a plastic genome, incorporating new metabolic capabilities while simultaneously retaining archaic metabolic traits, a unique combination which provides the flexibility to adapt to various ecological and environmental conditions. Rearrangement of the nitrogenase cluster in Cyanothece sp. strain 7425 and the concomitant loss of its aerobic nitrogen-fixing ability suggest that a similar mechanism might have been at play in cyanobacterial strains that eventually lost their nitrogen-fixing ability.

Research Organization:
Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science Division
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-08ER64694; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1626093
Journal Information:
mBio (Online), Vol. 2, Issue 5; ISSN 2150-7511
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (19)

Complete genome of a nonphotosynthetic cyanobacterium in a diatom reveals recent adaptations to an intracellular lifestyle journal July 2014
Genome analysis of the freshwater planktonic Vulcanococcus limneticus sp. nov. reveals horizontal transfer of nitrogenase operon and alternative pathways of nitrogen utilization journal April 2018
On the Relationship Between Hydrogen Saturation in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean and Nitrogen Fixation by the Symbiotic Diazotroph UCYN-A journal April 2018
Distribution of Hydrogenases in Cyanobacteria: A Phylum-Wide Genomic Survey journal December 2016
A diurnal flux balance model of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 metabolism journal January 2019
Genome analysis of the freshwater planktonic Vulcanococcus limneticus sp. nov. reveals horizontal transfer of nitrogenase operon and alternative pathways of nitrogen utilization text January 2018
Nitrogen metabolism in cyanobacteria: metabolic and molecular control, growth consequences and biotechnological applications journal March 2018
Emerging Species and Genome Editing Tools: Future Prospects in Cyanobacterial Synthetic Biology journal September 2019
Dynamics of N2 fixation and fate of diazotroph-derived nitrogen in a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll ecosystem: results from the VAHINE mesocosm experiment (New Caledonia) journal January 2016
Biogeochemical and biological impacts of diazotroph blooms in a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll ecosystem: synthesis from the VAHINE mesocosm experiment (New Caledonia) journal January 2016
H 2 accumulation and N 2 fixation variation by Ni limitation in Cyanothece journal August 2019
An Atypical psbA Gene Encodes a Sentinel D1 Protein to Form a Physiologically Relevant Inactive Photosystem II Complex in Cyanobacteria journal December 2014
Function, regulation and distribution of IsiA, a membrane-bound chlorophyll a-antenna protein in cyanobacteria journal January 2018
Flux Balance Analysis of Cyanobacterial Metabolism: The Metabolic Network of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 journal June 2013
Diazotrophic diversity in the Caribbean coral, Montastraea cavernosa journal November 2013
Enhanced Nitrogen Fixation in a glgX -Deficient Strain of Cyanothece sp. Strain ATCC 51142, a Unicellular Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacterium journal February 2019
Reconstruction and Comparison of the Metabolic Potential of Cyanobacteria Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 journal October 2012
Cyanobacteria as Nanogold Factories II: Chemical Reactivity and anti-Myocardial Infraction Properties of Customized Gold Nanoparticles Biosynthesized by Cyanothece sp. journal July 2019
Engineering Nitrogen Fixation Activity in an Oxygenic Phototroph journal June 2018

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
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