Cryo-EM structure of a monomeric RC-LH1-PufX supercomplex with high-carotenoid content from Rhodobacter capsulatus

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Confounding effects of snow cover on remotely sensed vegetation indices of evergreen and deciduous trees: An experimental study

Located at northern latitudes and subject to large seasonal temperature fluctuations, boreal forests are sensitive to the changing climate, with evidence for both increasing and decreasing productivity, depending upon conditions. Optical remote sensing of vegetation indices based on spectral reflectance offers a means of monitoring vegetation photosynthetic activity and provides a powerful tool for observing how boreal forests respond to changing environmental conditions. Reflectance-based remotely sensed optical signals at northern latitude or high-altitude regions are readily confounded by snow coverage, hampering applications of satellite-based vegetation indices in tracking vegetation productivity at large scales. Unraveling the effects of snow can be challenging from satellite data, particularly when validation data are lacking. In this study, we established an experimental system in Alberta, Canada including six boreal tree species, both evergreen and deciduous, to evaluate the confounding effects of snow on three vegetation indices: the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and the chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI), all used in tracking vegetation productivity for boreal forests. Our results revealed substantial impacts of snow on canopy reflectance and vegetation indices, expressed as increased albedo, decreased NDVI values and increased PRI and CCI values. These effects varied among species and functional groups (evergreen and deciduous) and different vegetation indices were affected differently, indicating contradictory, confounding effects of snow on these indices. In addition to snow effects, we evaluated the contribution of deciduous trees to vegetation indices in mixed stands of evergreen and deciduous species, which contribute to the observed relationship between greenness-based indices and ecosystem productivity of many evergreen-dominated forests that contain a deciduous component. Our results demonstrate confounding and interacting effects of snow and vegetation type on vegetation indices and illustrate the importance of explicitly considering snow effects in any global-scale photosynthesis monitoring efforts using remotely sensed vegetation indices.     

Influence of stress factors on growth and pigment production in three Dunaliella species cultivated outdoors in flat-plate photobioreactors

Abstract

Growth and production of carotenoid in three Dunaliella species (Dunaliella salina (Dunal) Teodoresco, Dunaliella bardawil Ben-Amotz & Avron and Dunaliella sp.) were investigated using flat-plate photobioreactors in outdoor conditions with two optical paths (3?cm and 5?cm). The experiment was conducted in duplicate and lasted four weeks during which light intensity, temperature, pH and optical density were checked daily. The pigment production (total carotenoid and chlorophyll a) was monitored every two days. To induce an additional stress besides temperature and light intensity, two different salt concentrations were used, i.e. 6% and 8% NaCl. The highest growth in all treatment groups was noticed for Dunaliella sp. followed by D. bardawil and D. salina. D. salina produced a higher content of carotenoid concentrations corresponding to 5?cm/8% and 5?cm/6% groups; 779.102?±?0.434?μg.mL^?1 and 694.326?±?0.098?μg.mL^?1 were registered at the end of the experiment. The same species had also greater content of β-carotene.     

Laser mutagenesis of protoplasts of Penicillium sp. PT95 for the enhancement of carotenoid yield

Aims: To isolate the protoplasts from Penicillium sp. PT95 and carry out laser mutagenesis to attain high-yield mutant strain for carotenoid production. Methods and Results: The mycelial pellets of PT95 strain were digested with the lytic enzyme for 3 h in order to attain protoplasts. The prepared protoplasts were irradiated using helium neon (He–Ne) laser. Among all regenerated colonies isolated from irradiated protoplasts, five colonies proved to be able to form sclerotia. The five colonies were named as strains L01, L02, L03, L04 and L05, respectively. Whereas, among all regenerated colonies isolated from no-irradiated protoplasts, no colonies were found to form sclerotia. Strains L01, L02, L03, L04 and L05 showed higher carotenoid yield than the original strain in Czapek’s agar medium. Strain L05 gave the highest pigment yield of 381 μg per plate, which was 2·54 times higher than that of original strain. Conclusions: These results suggest that PT95 strain may be mutagenized using laser-irradiation to obtain higher-yield mutant strains for carotenoid production. Significance and Impact of the Study: These data prompted us to consider that several attempts should be made to improve carotenoid production in PT95 by strain selection using classical screening and mutagenesis techniques.     

PIGMENTS OF BATHYCOCCUS PRASINOS (PRASINOPHYCEAE): METHODOLOGICAL AND CHEMOSYSTEMATIC IMPLICATIONS1,2

Bathycoccus prasinos Eikrem et Throndsen exhibited a complex carotenoid distribution pattern including the carotenes β,β-carotene (0.8% of total carotenoids) and β, ° Carotene (0.4%) and several xanthophylls. These were prasinoxanthin (49% of total carotenoids), micromonal (16%), neoxanthin (14%), uriolide (7%), violaxanthin (0.8%), 3¹-dehydrouriolide (0.8%), dihydrolutein (0.1%), two partly characterized esterified carotenols (together 10%), and five minor unidentified carotenols (together 2%). The identifications were based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), visible spectroscopy (VIS), and mass spectra (MS) and in part on ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD), and chemical derivatization. The carotenoid composition of B. prasinos was related to that of other prasinoxanthin / uriolide / micromonal-producing prasinophytes (Mantoniella squamata, Micromonas pusilla, and Pseudoscourfieldia marina). The relative distribution of chlorophylls (w/w) were chlorophyll a (chl a; 63%), chl b (31%), and an unknown chl c-like chlorophyll (7%) with spectral characteristics similar to magnesium 2,4-divinylphaeoporphyrin a, monomethyl ester, compatible with other prasinophytes. The chemosystematic data and ultrastructural characteristics for the order Mamiellales are discussed. We conclude that HPLC studies alone are insufficient for the identification and characterization of the carotenoids, including the minor carotenoids essential for biosynthetic/chemosystematic considerations.     

Carotenoid Mutants of Mucor circinelloides

The wild-type of the filamentous fungus Mucor circinelloides accumulates the yellow pigment β-carotene. At a continuous blue-light fluence rate of 0.1 W/m² the β-carotene content increases about eight fold over the dark controls. Among the mutants isolated after exposure of spores to either N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or ICR-170, a red mutant accumulating lycopene, white mutants accumulating phytoene and white mutants without carotenoids were found. The biosynthesis of carotenoids in M. circinelloides shows similarities with that of the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus such as the presence of mutants in the same structural genes and the induction by light of the pathway. However, negative end-product regulation by β-carotene on the biosynthetic pathway, as in Phycomyces, is absent in M. circinelloides. In contrast to Phycomyces carB and carR mutants, carotenoids in corresponding mutants of M. circinelloides are photoinduced.