温度变化对铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)生长和光合作用的影响

近年来, 随着水体富营养化的加剧, 在世界各地经常发生微囊藻水华, 并且因有些微囊藻品系能够产生毒素和异味物质, 从而严重影响饮用水安全并威胁人类健康自然水体中的微囊藻水华通常由产毒品系和非产毒品系微囊藻共同引发, 并且很多研究表明气候变暖将使蓝藻水华进一步扩张。研究铜绿微囊藻产毒品系 FACHB-905 (Microcystisaeruginosa FACHB-905)和非产毒品系 FACHB-469 (M. aeruginosa FACHB-469)在不同温度下适应 10 天后的生长、光合作用以及对强光胁迫耐受性的差异。结果发现两品系在 15 ℃ 下都基本没有生长, 在 40 ℃ 下甚至无法存活。而在 20 至 30 ℃间, 两品系的比生长速率均随着培养温度的升高而增大, 当温度进一步升高到 35 , ℃ 其又开始降低。在 20 至 35 ℃ 之间,铜绿微囊藻产毒品系 FACHB-905 比非产毒品系 FACHB-469 的比生长速率略高, 但是尚未达到显著差异水平。在 20 至35 ℃ 下适应 10 天后, 产毒品系 FACHB-905 的最大光合作用速率(Pmax)和暗呼吸速率(Rd)均显著高于非产毒品系 FACHB-469。将两品系转移至强光下(600 μmol·photons·m–2·s–1)照射 4 小时后, 两者的最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)都显著降低, 但是产毒品系 FACHB-905 的 Fv/Fm 在 30 和 35 ℃ 时显著高于非产毒品系 FACHB-469。总之, 在适应了不同温度梯度 10 天后, 与非产毒品系 FACHB-469 相比, 产毒品系 FACHB-905 表现出较高的生长、光合作用潜能以及耐光性。根据以上研究结果我们推测气候进一步变暖有可能使产毒品系微囊藻处于优势地位, 从而加剧其水华危害。     

水体N/P对塔玛亚历山大藻响应紫外辐射的影响

本文探讨了塔玛亚历山大藻(Alexandrium tamarense)在5种N/P(1∶1、16∶1、50∶1、100∶1和200∶1)条件下适应培养14 d后藻细胞生长和色素的差异。然后将适应培养14 d的藻细胞分为3种辐射处理[可见光(P)、可见光+紫外辐射A(PA)和可见光+紫外辐射A+B(PAB)],探讨藻细胞对紫外辐射响应机制的差异。采用人工紫外灯作为光源,检测3种辐射处理60 min有效光化学效率的变化和快速荧光曲线。结果表明:当N/P为16∶1时,塔玛亚历山大藻的生长最快,叶绿素a(Chl-a)和类胡萝卜素(Caro)的含量可达3.06×10-5和2.10×10-5μg·cell-1;提高或降低N/P都会抑制生长,生长速率与N/P之间符合一元二次方程(R20.98),而色素含量与N/P之间无此规律;经不同N/P培养14 d后,藻细胞接受3种辐射处理60 min,其光化学效率的变化符合一元指数方程(R20.97);与P处理相比,PA处理和PAB处理的光化学效率都显著下降,且光化学效率的降低程度与藻细胞光系统II D1蛋白的修复与损伤速率比值(r/k)存在显著的负线性关系(R20.98);紫外辐射对塔玛亚历山大藻的抑制率受到水体中N/P的影响,其规律符合一元二次方程(R20.95);N/P=16∶1时,r/k最大,光化学效率下降程度和紫外辐射抑制率都最小;因此,N/P=16∶1是藻细胞耐受紫外线辐射的最佳营养盐比例,N/P可通过改变塔玛亚历山大藻细胞D1蛋白的r/k来影响藻细胞对紫外线辐射的响应。     

铜绿微囊藻与小球藻对低温和黑暗的响应与恢复

研究以水华蓝藻铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806)与绿藻小球藻(Chlorella sp. FACHB-31)为研究对象, 探讨低温和黑暗对其生长、色素含量、最大光化学效率(F_v/F_m)、丙二醛(MDA)含量及过氧化氢酶活性的变化。结果表明, 30d的低温和黑暗处理, 显著降低了铜绿微囊藻和小球藻的叶绿素a浓度, 增加了单位细胞类胡萝卜素含量。在低温黑暗条件下, 铜绿微囊藻的MDA含量及CAT活性均显著增加, 而小球藻变化不明显。30d低温黑暗处理, 铜绿微囊藻的存活率为54.6%, 显著高于小球藻的31.3%。当恢复正常温度与光照, 2种藻均迅速生长。这些结果表明低温黑暗影响了微囊藻和小球藻的生理特性。在低温黑暗处理下, 微囊藻的F_v/F_m显著降低, 而小球藻则保持较为恒定的F_v/F_m, 表明微囊藻通过降低自身光合活性来渡过冬季低温黑暗的条件, 而小球藻在低温黑暗条件下仍保持较高的光合活性。     

绿藻栅藻对微囊藻的抑制效应及评价

为筛选具有控制微囊藻水华潜力的绿藻, 研究基于藻类之间的化感作用, 对34株绿藻开展筛选及评价工作。结果发现, 栅藻FACHB-1229的抑制率最高, 其滤液对微囊藻FACHB-3550和FACHB-905的抑制率分别为53.95%和48.39%; 通过对滤液中的物质进行GC-MS检测, 推测该藻株的效应物质可能为邻苯二甲酸二(2-甲氧基乙基)酯。进一步对FACHB-1229生长和光合放氧、氨氮耐受等指标进行评价, 结果发现: 该藻株在孔板中的生长速率(0.38±0.06)/d高于微囊藻生长速率(0.13±0.03)/d; 栅藻FACHB-1229的光合放氧速率高于同期测定的其他绿藻光合放氧速率, 可达(229.91±10.49) μmol O₂/(mg Chl.a·h); 同时该藻株对氨氮的耐受能力最强, 在氨氮浓度为1888.60 mg/L时其生长速率可达(0.30±0.08)/d。此外, 在与微囊藻FACHB-3550进行共培养时, 栅藻FACHB-1229所占比例持续升高。综上, 栅藻FACHB-1229具备与微囊藻竞争的优势, 有望成为微囊藻水华生物控制的优选材料。     

不同藻类对大型溞存活和生殖的影响

通过生命表技术观察了大型溞（Daphnia magna）在实验室恒定温度（25 ℃）下分别以梅尼小环藻、铜绿微囊藻905、铜绿微囊藻469和斜生栅藻为饵料时的存活率和生殖量变化,并据此探讨了不同藻类对大型溞生活史特征的影响。结果表明：大型溞食用梅尼小环藻和铜绿微囊藻469后生长良好,大型溞在斜生栅藻中也能较好生长,而铜绿微囊藻905对大型溞的生长和繁殖均有不良影响;大型溞对不同藻类的净生殖率(R₀)、世代历期(T)和内禀增长率(r_m)及存活率有不同的影响,梅尼小环藻分别为44.35、11.86、0.32、5%;铜绿微囊藻469分别为48.20、14.25、0.27、30%;斜生栅藻分别为8.10、12.47、0.17、15%;铜绿微囊藻905分别为0、0、0、0。     

不同温度及二氧化碳浓度下培养的龙须菜光合生理特性对阳光紫外辐射的响应

为了研究不同温度及CO₂浓度下培养的大型海藻对紫外辐射的生理学响应,选取龙须菜(Gracilaria lemaneiformis)作为实验材料。实验设置两个温度梯度(20 ℃和24 ℃),两种CO₂浓度(390 μL/L和1000 μL/L)以及3种辐射处理,即可见光(PAR)处理(滤除紫外线A(UV-A)、紫外线B(UV-B),400-700 nm)、可见光加紫外线A(PA)处理(滤除UV-B,320-700 nm)、PAB处理(全波长辐射280-700 nm)。结果表明,酸化、升温以及紫外辐射处理都未影响大型经济红藻龙须菜的叶绿素a和类胡萝卜素的含量。然而紫外辐射处理显著降低了龙须菜的有效光化学效率,其抑制水平在酸化处理的藻体中更为显著,并且随着温度的上升而进一步加剧;酸化与温度耦合使藻体对紫外辐射的敏感性增加,导致其较低的修复速率以及较高的损伤速率。     

阴离子表面活性剂LAS对产毒和无毒微囊藻生长及产毒特性的影响

文章研究了低浓度范围内不同浓度梯度的阴离子表面活性剂直链烷基苯磺酸盐(LAS)对产毒微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa, FACHB905)和无毒微囊藻(Microcystis wesenbergii, FACHB908)生长、光合特性、种间竞争及毒素合成的影响。结果表明,在0.05—5.0 mg/L LAS浓度梯度处理下,产毒微囊藻的生物量、产毒基因mcyD表达量和每细胞MCs含量均在培养12d后显著增加。产毒微囊藻胞内和胞外MCs含量在各LAS浓度处理后分别为0.069、0.052、0.061、0.038和0.037 fg/fg Chl.a及107.1、103.7、127.1、99.6和113.7 ng/L。即使在0.5 mg/L低浓度LAS处理条件下,上述3个参数也分别比对照组显著增加了24.2%、12.4倍和10.4%。浓度为0—0.2 mg/L LAS对无毒微囊藻的生物量无明显影响,而较高浓度的LAS(0.5—5.0 mg/L)明显抑制了无毒微囊藻的生长。在两株微囊藻混合培养时, 0.2—1.0 mg/L LAS处理组的产毒铜绿微囊藻mcy D的表达对LAS...     

微囊藻毒素缓解过氧化氢胁迫下铜绿微囊藻损伤的初步研究

过氧化氢可抑制藻类生长, 同时会导致微囊藻毒素(Microcystins, MCs)的释放, 实验设置4个处理组探讨了外源微囊藻毒素MC-LR对H2O2胁迫下铜绿微囊藻生理生化变化的影响。结果表明: 在H2O2胁迫下, 微囊藻的生长和光合活性受到显著抑制, 藻细胞存活率降低, ROS含量明显增加, SOD活性上升。与单独H2O2胁迫相比, 加入MC-LR能增加微囊藻细胞的存活率。250 mol/L H2O2处理24h和48h后, 在培养基中加入200 ng/mL MC-LR可以缓解H2O2对铜绿微囊藻光合系统PSII活性的抑制作用。当微囊藻暴露于250 mol/L H2O2环境中时, 添加了MC-LR处理组藻细胞中的ROS含量明显减少(P0.05)。在相同浓度H2O2且加入了外源MC-LR后藻细胞SOD活性下降(P0.05)。因此, 微囊藻毒素MC-LR可缓解250 mol/L H2O2引起的氧化损伤并增强微囊藻自身的生存能力。研究结果有利于阐明H2O2胁迫影响产毒蓝藻生长代谢的途径及MCs生物学意义。       

生长素吲哚乙酸对铜绿微囊藻生理生化及产毒特性的影响

为了探究生长素吲哚乙酸(IAA)对产毒铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)的影响, 从生长、光合色素含量、叶绿素光诱导荧光特征、脂质氧化和微囊藻毒素合成特性等方面, 研究了IAA对M. aeruginosa CHAB6301生理生化及产毒的影响。结果表明, 在低浓度IAA(0.04和0.2 mg/L)条件下, 铜绿微囊藻生长、叶绿素含量、光合系统(PSⅡ)电子传递效率及藻毒素含量均无明显变化, 藻蓝蛋白、别藻蓝蛋白和丙二醛(MDA)含量均低于对照。高浓度IAA(1和5 mg/L)能够促进细胞生长, 提高叶绿素含量, 但是抑制藻蓝蛋白和别藻蓝蛋白含量, 降低膜脂过氧化程度和细胞内藻毒素合成。综合各指标测定结果, 低浓度IAA对M. aeruginosa CHAB6301生长和光合作用影响不明显, 而高浓度IAA可促进藻细胞生长和光合作用, 增加微囊藻水华形成几率。     

没食子酸对铜绿微囊藻的化感作用

为了探讨没食子酸对铜绿微囊藻的抑制效应及超微结构的影响。本文采用不同浓度的没食子酸水溶液对铜绿微囊藻(Microcystic aeruginosa)藻液进行胁迫处理,随着没食子酸浓度的增加和处理时间的延长,铜绿微囊藻的生长受到显著抑制。采用扫描电镜和透射电镜观察,处理72 h的铜绿微囊藻细胞超微结构出现不同程度改变,与对照相比,铜绿微囊藻细胞壁呈现不同程度的皱缩、塌陷、破裂,胞质中类囊体光合片层出现不同程度的分散、断裂,依附于类囊体的藻胆体减少或分散到胞质中,胞质中脂质颗粒和藻青素颗粒数量出现不同程度的增多,拟核区出现空洞,直至大部分藻细胞死亡。结果表明,没食子酸能够有效抑制铜绿微囊藻的生长,具有明显的化感作用。     

Effects of Solar UV Radiation on Morphology and Photosynthesis of Filamentous Cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis

To study the impact of solar UV radiation (UVR) (280 to 400 nm) on the filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, we examined the morphological changes and photosynthetic performance using an indoor-grown strain (which had not been exposed to sunlight for decades) and an outdoor-grown strain (which had been grown under sunlight for decades) while they were cultured with three solar radiation treatments: PAB (photosynthetically active radiation [PAR] plus UVR; 280 to 700 nm), PA (PAR plus UV-A; 320 to 700 nm), and P (PAR only; 400 to 700 nm). Solar UVR broke the spiral filaments of A. platensis exposed to full solar radiation in short-term low-cell-density cultures. This breakage was observed after 2 h for the indoor strain but after 4 to 6 h for the outdoor strain. Filament breakage also occurred in the cultures exposed to PAR alone; however, the extent of breakage was less than that observed for filaments exposed to full solar radiation. The spiral filaments broke and compressed when high-cell-density cultures were exposed to full solar radiation during long-term experiments. When UV-B was screened off, the filaments initially broke, but they elongated and became loosely arranged later (i.e., there were fewer spirals per unit of filament length). When UVR was filtered out, the spiral structure hardly broke or became looser. Photosynthetic O₂ evolution in the presence of UVR was significantly suppressed in the indoor strain compared to the outdoor strain. UVR-induced inhibition increased with exposure time, and it was significantly lower in the outdoor strain. The concentration of UV-absorbing compounds was low in both strains, and there was no significant change in the amount regardless of the radiation treatment, suggesting that these compounds were not effectively used as protection against solar UVR. Self-shading, on the other hand, produced by compression of the spirals over adaptive time scales, seems to play an important role in protecting this species against deleterious UVR. Our findings suggest that the increase in UV-B irradiance due to ozone depletion not only might affect photosynthesis but also might alter the morphological development of filamentous cyanobacteria during acclimation or over adaptive time scales.     

Study on pectinase and sclerotium producing abilities of two kinds ofAspergillus flavus isolates from Zhejiang

Pectinase and sclerotium production by strains ofAspergillus flavus were determined with a pectinase culture plate assay and a Cz 3% NaNO₃ medium plate assay. In theA. flavus population, 51% of isolates produced sclerotia, the toxigenic strains showing a tendency to have smaller sclerotia. Strains producing both abundant small sclerotia and a large quantity of aflatoxin were not found. There was no linear correlation between the amount of aflatoxin produced and the number of sclerotia. Levels of pectinase produced by the toxigenic strains were higher than that of the non-toxigenic strains, and this character was more obvious in the sclerotium-producing strains than in the non-sclerotium-prodcing strains. In theA. flavus population from Zhejiang in which the toxigenic strain rate was low, toxigenic strains may require higher levels of pectinase to compete with the non-toxigenic strains when infecting foodstuffs.     

Effects of solar UV radiation on morphology and photosynthesis of filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis

To study the impact of solar UV radiation (UVR) (280 to 400 nm) on the filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, we examined the morphological changes and photosynthetic performance using an indoor-grown strain (which had not been exposed to sunlight for decades) and an outdoor-grown strain (which had been grown under sunlight for decades) while they were cultured with three solar radiation treatments: PAB (photosynthetically active radiation [PAR] plus UVR; 280 to 700 nm), PA (PAR plus UV-A; 320 to 700 nm), and P (PAR only; 400 to 700 nm). Solar UVR broke the spiral filaments of A. platensis exposed to full solar radiation in short-term low-cell-density cultures. This breakage was observed after 2 h for the indoor strain but after 4 to 6 h for the outdoor strain. Filament breakage also occurred in the cultures exposed to PAR alone; however, the extent of breakage was less than that observed for filaments exposed to full solar radiation. The spiral filaments broke and compressed when high-cell-density cultures were exposed to full solar radiation during long-term experiments. When UV-B was screened off, the filaments initially broke, but they elongated and became loosely arranged later (i.e., there were fewer spirals per unit of filament length). When UVR was filtered out, the spiral structure hardly broke or became looser. Photosynthetic O(2) evolution in the presence of UVR was significantly suppressed in the indoor strain compared to the outdoor strain. UVR-induced inhibition increased with exposure time, and it was significantly lower in the outdoor strain. The concentration of UV-absorbing compounds was low in both strains, and there was no significant change in the amount regardless of the radiation treatment, suggesting that these compounds were not effectively used as protection against solar UVR. Self-shading, on the other hand, produced by compression of the spirals over adaptive time scales, seems to play an important role in protecting this species against deleterious UVR. Our findings suggest that the increase in UV-B irradiance due to ozone depletion not only might affect photosynthesis but also might alter the morphological development of filamentous cyanobacteria during acclimation or over adaptive time scales.     

Combined effects of ocean acidification and solar UV radiation on photosynthesis,growth, pigmentation and calcification of the coralline alga Corallina sessilis (Rhodophyta)

Previous studies have shown that increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations affect calcification in some planktonic and macroalgal calcifiers due to the changed carbonate chemistry of seawater. However, little is known regarding how calcifying algae respond to solar UV radiation (UVR, UVA+UVB, 280–400 nm). UVR may act synergistically, antagonistically or independently with ocean acidification (high CO₂/low pH of seawater) to affect their calcification processes. We cultured the articulated coralline alga Corallina sessilis Yendo at 380 ppmv (low) and 1000 ppmv (high) CO₂ levels while exposing the alga to solar radiation treatments with or without UVR. The presence of UVR inhibited the growth, photosynthetic O₂ evolution and calcification rates by13%, 6% and 3% in the low and by 47%, 20% and 8% in the high CO₂ concentrations, respectively, reflecting a synergistic effect of CO₂ enrichment with UVR. UVR induced significant decline of pH in the CO₂‐enriched cultures. The contents of key photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll a and phycobiliproteins decreased, while UV‐absorptivity increased under the high pCO₂/low pH condition. Nevertheless, UV‐induced inhibition of photosynthesis increased when the ratio of particulate inorganic carbon/particulate organic carbon decreased under the influence of CO₂‐acidified seawater, suggesting that the calcified layer played a UV‐protective role. Both UVA and UVB negatively impacted photosynthesis and calcification, but the inhibition caused by UVB was about 2.5–2.6 times that caused by UVA. The results imply that coralline algae suffer from more damage caused by UVB as they calcify less and less with progressing ocean acidification.     

Metabolic behaviour of aflatoxin producing strain and non-toxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus to different sources of nitrogen and glucose concentration

The effect of different nitrogen sources and varying glucose concentration on aflatoxin production by a toxigenic and non-toxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus was studied. Greatest production (3.8 ppm) of aflatoxin B₁ was produced in a synthetic medium when casamino acids were supplied as the nitrogen source. Optimum sugar concentration for aflatoxin B₁ production ranged between 3 and 10 g/100 ml. There was no appreciable difference in the metabolic behaviour between toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of A. flavus when dry mycelial weight, total proteins, non-protein nitrogen and reducing sugar were the criteria.     

EFFECTS OF INCREASING UV‐B RADIATION DUE TO OZONE DEPLETION ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF ANTARCTIC CYANOBACTERIA

Ground level ultraviolet‐B (UV‐B; 290–320 nm) fluxes in Antarctica have been increasing due to stratospheric ozone depletion. Although mat‐forming cyanobacteria are major component of freshwater algal biomass in Antarctica, little is known about their response to increasing ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The present study evaluated the sensitivity to UVR of two strains of mat‐forming cyanobacteria with different cell size, Phormidium murrayi (6.0 x 3.2 μm) and Schizothrix calcicola (2.2 x 2.3 μm). Cyanobacterial photosynthesis was measured under different UV spectral quality and quantity achieved by polychromatic filters with different cutoff wavelengths and neutral density screens. The productivity and irradiance data were used to generate biological weighting functions (BWF) for the assessment of UV inhibition on photosynthesis. The kinetics of UV inhibition, as determined by PAM fluorometry, differed between the two species so that inhibition of P. murrayi and S. calcicola were modeled based on UV‐irradiance and cumulative exposure, respectively. After a one hour exposure, BWF's did not differ between the two isolates of cyanobacteria despite their differences in cell size. To evaluate the negative impact of increased UV‐B exposure due to ozone depletion on cyanobacteria, the BWF's were applied to two solar spectra obtained from McMurdo Station, one on a day when the ozone hole was prominent (O₃ = 170 Dobson units; DU = 10‐3 cm O₃), and the other on a day with high ozone concentration (O₃ = 328 DU). The decrease in ozone level would reduce productivity by 3–8%. Seasonal variation of UVR has a bigger impact on cyanobacterial productivity than ozone depletion.     

Effects of ocean acidification and solar ultraviolet radiation on physiology and toxicity of dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi

A batch culture experiment was conducted to study the interactive effects of ocean acidification (OA) and solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280–400 nm) on the harmful dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi. Cells were incubated in 7-days trials under four treatments. Physiological (growth, pigments, UV_abc) and toxicity (hemolytic activity and its toxicity to zebrafish embryos) response variables were measured in four treatments, representing two factorial combinations of CO₂ (400 and 1000 μatm) and solar irradiance (with or without UVR). Toxic species K. mikimotoi showed sustained growth in all treatments, and there was not statistically significant difference among four treatments. Cell pigment content decreased, but UV_abc and hemolytic activity increased in all HC treatments and PAB conditions. The toxicity to zebrafish embryos of K. mikimotoi was not significantly different among four treatments. All HC and UVR conditions and the combinations of HC*UVR (HC-PAB) positively affected the UV_abc, hemolytic activity in comparison to the LC*P (LC-P) treatment, and negatively affected the pigments. Ocean acidification (OA) was probably the main factor that affected the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and UV_abc, but UVR was the main factor that affected the carotenoid (Caro) and hemolytic activity. There were no significant interactive effects of OA*UVR on growth, toxicity to zebrafish embryos. If these results are extrapolated to the natural environment, it can be hypothesized that this strain (DP-C32) of K. mikimotoi cells have the efficient mechanisms to endure the combination of ocean acidification and solar UVR. It is assumed that this toxic strain could form harmful bloom and enlarge the threatening to coastal communities, marine animals, even human health under future conditions.     

Photoregulation of morphological structure and its physiological relevance in the cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrospira</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Spirulina</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">platensis</Emphasis>

The spiral structure of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis (Nordst.) Gomont was previously found to be altered by solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280–400 nm). However, how photosynthetic active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm) and UVR interact in regulating this morphological change remains unknown. Here, we show that the spiral structure of A. platensis (D-0083) was compressed under PAR alone at 30°C, but that at 20°C, the spirals compressed only when exposed to PAR with added UVR, and that UVR alone (the PAR was filtered out) did not tighten the spiral structure, although its presence accelerated morphological regulation by PAR. Their helix pitch decreased linearly as the cells received increased PAR doses, and was reversible when they were transferred back to low PAR levels. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that a 52.0 kDa periplasmic protein was more abundant in tighter filaments, which may have been responsible for the spiral compression. This spiral change together with the increased abundance of the protein made the cells more resistant to high PAR as well as UVR, resulting in a higher photochemical yield.     

Differential responses of Nostoc sphaeroides and Arthrospira platensis to solar ultraviolet radiation exposure

During October to December 2003 we carried out experiments to assess the impact of high solar radiation levels (as normally occurring in a tropical region of Southern China) on the cyanobacteria Nostoc sphaeroides and Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. Two types of experiments were done: a) Short-term (i.e., 20 min) oxygen production of samples exposed to two radiation treatments (i.e., PAR+UVR—280–700 nm, and PAR only—400–700 nm, PAB and P treatments, respectively), and b) Long-term (i.e., 12 days) evaluation of photosynthetic quantum yield (Y) of samples exposed to three radiation treatments (i.e., PAB; PA (PAR+UV-A, 320–700 nm) and P treatments, respectively). N. sphaeroides was resistant to UVR, with no significant differences (P>0.05) in oxygen production within 20 min of exposure, but with a slight inhibition of Y within hours. A fast recovery of Y was observed after one day even in samples exposed to full solar radiation. A. platensis, on the other hand, was very sensitive to solar radiation (mainly to UV-B), as determined by oxygen production and Y measurements. A. platensis had a circadian rhythm of photosynthetic inhibition, and during the first six days of exposure to solar radiation, it varied between 80 and 100% at local noon, but cells recovered significantly during afternoon hours. There was a significant decrease in photosynthetic inhibition after the first week of exposure with values less than 50% at local noon in samples receiving full solar radiation. Samples exposed to PA and P treatments recovered much faster (within 2–3 days), and there were no significant differences in Y between the three radiation treatments when irradiance was low (late afternoon to early morning). Long-term acclimation seems to be important in A. platensis to cope with high UVR levels however, it is not attained through the synthesis of UV-absorbing compounds but it seems to be mostly related to adaptive morphological changes.     

Biochemical analysis of oxidative stress in the production of aflatoxin and its precursor intermediates

The relevance of oxidative stress in the production of aflatoxin and its precursors was examined in different mutants of Aspergillus parasiticus, which produce aflatoxin or its precursor intermediates, and compared with results obtained from a non-toxigenic strain. In comparison to the non-toxigenic strain (SRRC 255), an aflatoxin producing strain (NRRL 2999) or mutants that accumulate aflatoxin precursors such as norsolorinic acid (by SRRC 162) or versicolorin (by NRRL 6196) or O-methyl sterigmatocystin (by SRRC 2043) had greater oxygen requirements and higher contents of reactive oxygen species. These changes were in the graded order of NRRL 2999 > SRRC 2043 > NRRL 6196 > SRRC 162 > SRRC 255, indicating incremental accumulation of reactive oxygen species, being least in the non-toxigenic strain and increasing progressively during the ternary steps of aflatoxin formation. Oxidative stress in these strains was evident by increased activities of xanthine oxidase and free radical scavenging enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) as compared to the non-toxigenic strain (SRRC 255). Culturing the toxigenic strain in presence of 0.1–10 μM H₂O₂ in the medium resulted in enhanced aflatoxin production, which could be related to dose-dependent increase in [¹⁴C]-acetate incorporation into aflatoxin B₁ and increased acetyl CoA carboxylase activity. The combined results suggest that formation of secondary metabolites such as aflatoxin and its precursors by A. parasiticus may occur as a compensatory response to reactive oxygen species accumulation.