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A Role for Programmed Cell Death in the Microbial Loop

Journal Article · · PLoS ONE
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1]
  1. Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA (United States); Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
  2. Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA (United States); Genomatica, Inc., San Diego, CA (United States)
  3. University of the Witwatersrand and National Health Laboratory Service, Parktown (South Africa); Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
  4. Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA (United States); Integral Consulting Inc., Seattle, WA (United States)
The microbial loop is the conventional model by which nutrients and minerals are recycled in aquatic eco-systems. Biochemical pathways in different organisms become metabolically inter-connected such that nutrients are utilized, processed, released and re-utilized by others. The result is that unrelated individuals end up impacting each others' fitness directly through their metabolic activities. This study focused on the impact of programmed cell death (PCD) on a population's growth as well as its role in the exchange of carbon between two naturally co-occurring halophilic organisms. Flow cytometric, biochemical, 14C radioisotope tracing assays, and global transcriptomic analyses show that organic algal photosynthate released by Dunalliela salina cells undergoing PCD complements the nutritional needs of other non-PCD D. salina cells. This occurs in vitro in a carbon limited environment and enhances the growth of the population. In addition, a co-occurring heterotroph Halobacterium salinarum re-mineralizes the carbon providing elemental nutrients for the mixoheterotrophic chlorophyte. The significance of this is uncertain and the archaeon can also subsist entirely on the lysate of apoptotic algae. PCD is now well established in unicellular organisms; however its ecological relevance has been difficult to decipher. In this study we found that PCD in D. salina causes the release of organic nutrients such as glycerol, which can be used by others in the population as well as a co-occurring halophilic archaeon. H. salinarum also re-mineralizes the dissolved material promoting algal growth. PCD in D. salina was the mechanism for the flow of dissolved photosynthate between unrelated organisms. Ironically, programmed death plays a central role in an organism's own population growth and in the exchange of nutrients in the microbial loop.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Medical Research Council, South Africa; National Health Laboratory Service, University of the Witwatersrand; National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1797295
Journal Information:
PLoS ONE, Journal Name: PLoS ONE Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 8; ISSN 1932-6203
Publisher:
Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Early perturbation in mitochondria redox homeostasis in response to environmental stress predicts cell fate in diatoms journal August 2014
Cell cycle arrest and biochemical changes accompanying cell death in harmful dinoflagellates following exposure to bacterial algicide IRI-160AA journal March 2017
Phylogenetically Driven Sequencing of Extremely Halophilic Archaea Reveals Strategies for Static and Dynamic Osmo-response journal November 2014
Type II-Metacaspases are involved in cell stress but not in cell death in the unicellular green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta journal November 2019
BMAA Inhibits Nitrogen Fixation in the Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 journal August 2013
Algicidal bacteria trigger contrasting responses in model diatom communities of different composition journal February 2019
Microalgal–Bacterial Flocs and Extracellular Polymeric Substances: Two Essential and Valuable Products of Integrated Algal Pond Systems journal April 2019
The Nature of Programmed Cell Death journal November 2018
Programmed death in a unicellular organism has species-specific fitness effects journal February 2014
Diurnal fluctuations in chloroplast GSH redox state regulate susceptibility to oxidative stress and cell fate in a bloom-forming diatom journal April 2018
Phosphorus starvation induces membrane remodeling and recycling in Emiliania huxleyi journal April 2016
Temporal and metabolic overlap between lipid accumulation and programmed cell death due to nitrogen starvation in the unicellular chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii journal March 2019

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