Effect of UV-B radiation on the synthesis of UV-absorbing compounds in a terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc flagelliforme

Effects of two intensities (1 and 5 W?m^?2) of UV-B radiation on the synthesis of UV-absorbing compounds in a terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme were investigated. UV-B radiation resulted in lower biomass. Short period (less than 12 h) of UV-B radiation caused an increase of chlorophyll a content, but subsequent duration of treatment (more than 24 h) resulted in a rapid decrease. N. flagelliforme synthesized UV-absorbing compounds such as scytonemin and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in response to UV-B radiation. Upon 48 h of exposure to UV-B radiation, scytonemin content in cells increased by 103.8 and 164.0 % at 1 and 5 W?m^?2, respectively. Oligosaccharide-linked mycosporine-like amino acids increased by 145.5 % after 12 h at 5 W?m^?2 and 114.5 % after 48 h at 1 W?m^?2 UV-B radiation. HPLC analysis showed that nine MAAs existed in N. flagelliforme cells both from liquid suspension culture and field colony. But the concentration and kinds of them were different. At the two distinct levels of UV-B radiation, the content of particular MAAs increased, declined, or remained unchanged. Moreover, the appearance of two new MAAs was observed.     

The odd behaviour of carbonic anhydrase in the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme during hydration-dehydration cycles

The terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme , inhabiting arid areas, withstands prolonged periods of dehydration. How dehydration and occasional wetting affect inorganic C acquisition in this organism is not well known. As inorganic C acquisition in cyanobacteria often involves carbonic anhydrases (CA), we studied the effect of cycles of hydration and dehydration on the extracellular and intracellular CA activities, at the pH values presumably associated with dew or rain wetting. The external CA of N. flagelliforme (or of the microorganismal consortium of which N. flagelliforme is the main component) is activated by hydration, especially at low pH, and it may facilitate inorganic C acquisition when N. flagelliforme colonies are wetted by dew. Internal CA is present in dry colonies and is rapidly inactivated upon rehydration, therefore an anaplerotic role for this enzyme is proposed.     

Growth characteristics of the cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme in photoautotrophic, mixotrophic and heterotrophic cultivation

Nostoc flagelliforme is a terrestrial cyanobacterium with high economic value. Dissociated cells separated from a natural colony of N. flagelliforme were cultivated for 7 days under either phototrophic, mixotrophic or heterotrophic culture conditions. The highest biomass, 1.67 g L⁻¹ cell concentration, was obtained under mixotrophic culture, representing 4.98 and 2.28 times the biomass obtained in phototrophic and heterotrophic cultures, respectively. The biomass in mixotrophic culture was not the sum as that in photoautotrophic and heterotrophic cultures. During the first 4 days of culture, the cell concentration in mixotrophic culture was lower than the sum of those in photoautotrophic and heterotrophic cultures. However, from the 5th day, the cell concentration in mixotrophic culture surpassed the sum of those obtained from the other two trophic modes. Although the inhibitor of photosynthetic electron transport DCMU [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] efficiently inhibited autotrophic growth of N. flagelliforme cells, under mixotrophic culture they could grow by using glucose. The addition of glucose changed the response of N.flagelliforme cells to light. The maximal photosynthetic rate, dark respiration rate and light compensation point in mixotrophic culture were higher than those in photoautotrophic cultures. These results suggest that photoautotrophic (photosynthesis) and heterotrophic (oxidative metabolism of glucose) growth interact in mixotrophic growth of N. flagelliforme cells.     

Expansion of bilin-based red light sensors in the subaerial desert cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme

Light is the crucial environmental signal for desiccation-tolerant cyanobacteria to activate photosynthesis and prepare for desiccation at dawn. However, the photobiological characteristics of desert cyanobacteria adaptation to one of the harshest habitats on Earth remain unresolved. In this study, we surveyed the genome of a subaerial desert cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme and identified two phytochromes and seven cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) with one or more bilin-binding GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylyl cyclase/FhlA) domains. Biochemical and spectroscopic analyses of 69 purified GAF-containing proteins from recombinant phycocyanobilin (PCB), biliverdin or phycoerythrobilin-producing Escherichia coli indicated that nine of these proteins bind chromophores. Further investigation revealed that 11 GAFs form covalent adducts responsive to near-UV and visible light: eight GAFs contained PCB chromophores, three GAFs contained biliverdin chromophores and one contained the PCB isomer, phycoviolobilin. Interestingly, COO91_03972 is the first-ever reported GAF-only CBCR capable of sensing five wavelengths of light. Bioinformatics and biochemical analyses revealed that residue P132 of COO91_03972 is essential for chromophore binding to dual-cysteine CBCRs. Furthermore, the complement of N. flagelliforme CBCRs is enriched in red light sensors. We hypothesize that these sensors are critical for the acclimatization of N. flagelliforme to weak light environments at dawn.     

Effect of mixed carbon substrate on exopolysaccharide production of cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme in mixotrophic cultures

The effects of organic carbon sources on cell growth and exopolysaccharide (EPS) production of dissociated Nostoc flagelliforme cells under mixotrophic batch culture were investigated. After 7?days of cultivation, glycerol, acetate, sucrose, and glucose increased the final cell density and final EPS concentrations, and mixotrophic growth achieved higher biomass concentrations. The increase in cell growth was particularly high when glucose was added as the sole carbon source. On the other hand, EPS production per dry cell weight was significantly enhanced by adding acetate. For more effective EPS production, the effects of the mixture of glucose and acetate were investigated. Increasing the ratio of glucose to acetate resulted in higher growth rate with BG-11 medium and higher EPS productivity with BG-11₀ medium (without NaNO₃). When the medium was supplemented with a mixture of glucose (4.0?g?L^?1) and acetate (2.0?g?L^?1), 1.79?g?L^?1 biomass with BG-11 medium and 879.6?mg?L^?1 of EPS production with BG-11₀ medium were achieved. Adopting this optimal ratio of glucose to acetate established in flask culture, the culture was also conducted in a 20-L photobioreactor with BG-11 medium for 7?days. A maximum biomass of 2.32?g?L^?1 was achieved, and the EPS production was 634.6?mg?L^?1.     

Metabolomic approach to optimizing and evaluating antibiotic treatment in the axenic culture of cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme

The application of antibiotic treatment with assistance of metabolomic approach in axenic isolation of cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme was investigated. Seven antibiotics were tested at 1–100 mg L^?1, and order of tolerance of N. flagelliforme cells was obtained as kanamycin > ampicillin, tetracycline > chloromycetin, gentamicin > spectinomycin > streptomycin. Four antibiotics were selected based on differences in antibiotic sensitivity of N. flagelliforme and associated bacteria, and their effects on N. flagelliforme cells including the changes of metabolic activity with antibiotics and the metabolic recovery after removal were assessed by a metabolomic approach based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry combined with multivariate analysis. The results showed that antibiotic treatment had affected cell metabolism as antibiotics treated cells were metabolically distinct from control cells, but the metabolic activity would be recovered via eliminating antibiotics and the sequence of metabolic recovery time needed was spectinomycin, gentamicin > ampicillin > kanamycin. The procedures of antibiotic treatment have been accordingly optimized as a consecutive treatment starting with spectinomycin, then gentamicin, ampicillin and lastly kanamycin, and proved to be highly effective in eliminating the bacteria as examined by agar plating method and light microscope examination. Our work presented a strategy to obtain axenic culture of N. flagelliforme and provided a method for evaluating and optimizing cyanobacteria purification process through diagnosing target species cellular state.     

发菜(Nostoc flagelliforme)培养条件的研究

研究了光照强度、日供水次数、CO2浓度和培养基成分对发菜生长的影响。结果显示,中度光强(114μmol.m-2.s-1)下发菜生长最快;发菜的生长基本同供水次数成正相关系;CO2浓度的升高并没有显著促进发菜生长,低光条件下(57μmol.m-2.s-1),高浓度的CO2(2800μL/L)抑制了发菜的生长;用BG11培养的发菜生物量的增长显著高于用BG110培养的;BG11培养基中K+和CO32-的缺失并没有显著影响发菜的生长。     

阳光紫外辐射对室内水培发状念珠藻生理特性的影响

发状念珠藻（Nostoc flagelliforme Bornet & Flahault）是一种重要的陆生经济蓝藻,室内培育出的原植体如何适应阳光辐射的问题尚需探讨。为此,作者将室内水培发菜置于阳光下培养,测定了其生长、有效光化学效率（F/Fm΄）和色素的变化。结果表明,较高的可见光（PAR,395－700 nm）和紫外辐射（UVR,280－395 nm）均导致水培发菜的F/Fm΄下降。第1天中午,PAR和UVR分别使F/Fm΄下降了54％和13％;傍晚,F/Fm΄有部分恢复。UVR对发菜适应阳光2d后的生长无负面作用。发菜在适应全阳光辐射期间,紫外吸收物质（Scytonemin和Mycosporine-like amino acids）含量不断增加,9d后,分别增加了124倍和9倍。这些紫外吸收物质的增加对发菜细胞降低光抑制,适应阳光辐射,起到了重要作用。本研究的结果可为水培发菜室外培养方法的建立提供一定的理论依据。     

Effects of 100 GHz radiation on alkaline phosphatase activity and antigen–antibody interaction

Equipment that generates microwave radiation (MWR) spanning the frequency range of 300 MHz–100 GHz is becoming more common. While MWR lacks sufficient energy to break chemical bonds, the disagreement as to whether MWR exposure is detrimental to cellular dysfunction may be difficult to clarify using complex systems such as whole animals, cells, or cell extracts. Recently, the high frequency range of terahertz (THz) radiation has been explored and sources of radiation and its detectors have been developed. THz radiation is associated with the frequency interval from 100 GHz to 20 THz and constitutes the next frontier in imaging science and technology. In the present study, we investigated the effect of radiation in the low frequency THz range (100 GHz) on two defined molecular interactions. First, the interaction of soluble or immobilized calf alkaline phosphatase with the substrate p‐nitrophenylphosphate and second, the interaction between an antibody (mouse monoclonal anti‐DNP) and its antigen (DNP). Irradiation of enzyme either prior to addition of substrate or during the enzymatic reaction resulted in small but significant reductions in enzyme activity. These differences were not observed if the enzyme had previously been immobilized onto plastic microwells. Exposure of immobilized antigen to radiation did not influence the ability of the antigen to interact with antibody. However, irradiation appeared to decrease the stability of previously formed antigen–antibody complexes. Our data suggest that 100 GHz radiation can induce small but statistically significant alterations in the characteristics of these two types of biomolecular interactions. Bioelectromagnetics 30:167–175, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Studies on Photosynthesis,Respiration and Morphology of Nostoc flagelliforme

Nostoc flagelliforme Born. et Flah. is one of the terrestrial cyanobacteria naturally distributed in arid and semi-arid areas in the Northern and the North-western parts of China. The cyanobacterium is an edible delicacy with special medical value. However, commercial N. flagelliforme has nov been collected from the field only. For cultivation of this valuable cyanobacterium, it is necessary to understand how it grows and how it adapts to the environment.The experimental material was collected in Siziwangqi of Nei Monggol. The effects of light intensity, temperature, pH, salinity, length of thallus and rewetting on photosynthesis and respiration of N. fiagelli[orme were measured using an oxygen electrode. The results were as follows: The photosynthetic light compensation point was around 40–90μmol photons·m-2·s-1, the light saturation point was 1200μmol photons·m-2·s-1, and no photoinhibition appeared when the light intensity was increased to 1800μmol photons· m-2·s-1. N. fiagelliforme exhibited its photosynthetic and respiratory activities in the temperature range of 5–45℃. The optimum temperature for its photosynthesis was 25℃ and that for respiration was 35--40℃. Between pH range of 4.5–9.5 N. flagelliforme had photosynthetic activity and respiratory activity at pH range of 4-10, with optimum pH for photosynthesis at 7.5 and for respiration at 7.5–8.0. N. flagelliforme exhibited maximum net photosynthesis in 0.15mol/L of NaC1 in BG-11 medium. When the salinity was increased to 0.9 mol/L the net photosynthesis dropped down to zero. Respiration decreased concordantly with the increasing salinity as well. Maxima photosynthesis and respiration was also detected when the thallus of N. flagelliforme reached a length of 0.5cm and aftewords the more the length the less the activities. The recovery time attaining to the maximum photosynthesis and respiration activities after rewetting was dependent on storage time in dryness. The cyanobacterial mats after being reserved for 3 months, attained its maximum photosynthesis by 0.5h after rewetting, and that being reserved for 18 months needed 3.5h after rewetting. For respiration, the mats reserved for 3 months and 18 months required 5 minutes and lh after rewetting, respectively to attain its maximum. Under scanning electron microscope, cells of N. flagelliforme were wrapped up within a gluey sheath, and usually attached closely to each other in pairs and the filaments were uni-trichome with branches in some cases. The surface of thallus tip was rougher than other parts which meant that the tip portion had greater surface area beneficial to water absorption and cell growth.     

不同培养基对发菜细胞生长和光合活性的影响

研究测定了发菜(NostocflagelliformeBorn.etFlah.)细胞在不同培养基中的生长速率、光合作用和叶绿素荧光活性。结果显示培养11d后:Detmer培养基中叶绿素a的含量为1.08mg/L,Kratz-Myers培养基中叶绿素a的含量为1.87mg/L,水生104号培养基中叶绿素a的含量为1.21mg/L,BG11培养基中叶绿素a的含量为2.18mg/L,表明在BG11培养基中培养的细胞具有最高生长速率;与另外4种不同浓度的BG11培养基相比,上述BG11培养基培养的发菜具有最大的光合速率Pm(218.1μmolO2.mg-1chla.h-1)和最高的PSII光化学效率(Fv/Fm=0.349)。实验结果表明,BG11是适合发菜生长的培养基,对其光合作用和叶绿素荧光活性具有显著促进作用。     

干旱胁迫对发菜超微结构及抗性生理的影响

发菜是一种陆生固氮蓝藻,具有强烈的旱生生态适应性。对干旱胁迫条件下发菜超微结构和抗性生理进行了研究。结果表明：随着干旱胁迫加重,发菜细胞大小和细胞壁厚度变化不显著,胶质鞘趋于紧密,类囊体排列趋于紊乱,多角体变得模糊不清甚至消失,糖原颗粒数目减少,但结构颗粒数目没有明显变化。随着干旱胁迫的加重,发菜SOD、CAT活性呈先升高再下降趋势,SOD在含水量为120%时达到高峰;CAT活性在含水量为445%时达到高峰;MDA,氧自由基随着干旱胁迫加重,其含量呈上升趋势;H₂O₂含量随干旱胁迫加重呈先升高再下降趋势,在含水量为120%时达到峰值。干燥储存1年的发菜与恢复活性的发菜有明显差异性,其SOD、CAT活性较低、MDA、H₂O₂含量较少,但是氧自由基含量最高。研究结果对深入研究发菜的耐旱机理奠定了基础。     

UV-B-induced synthesis of photoprotective pigments and extracellular polysaccharides in the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune.

Liquid cultures of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune derived from field material were treated with artificial UV-B and UV-A irradiation. We studied the induction of various pigments which are though to provide protection against damaging UV-B irradiation. First, UV-B irradiation induced an increase in carotenoids, especially echinenone and myxoxanthophyll, but did not influence production of chlorophyll a. Second, an increase of an extracellular, water-soluble UV-A/B-absorbing mycosporine occurred, which was associated with extracellular glycan synthesis. Finally, synthesis of scytonemin, a lipid-soluble, extracellular pigment known to function as a UV-A sunscreen, was observed. After long-time exposure, the UV-B effect on carotenoid and scytonemin synthesis ceased whereas the mycosporine content remained constantly high. The UV-B sunscreen mycosporine is exclusively induced by UV-B (< 315 nm). The UV-A sunscreen scytonemin is induced only slightly by UV-B (< 315 nm), very strongly by near UV-A (350 to 400 nm), and not at all by far UV-A (320 to 350 nm). These results may indicate that the syntheses of these UV sunscreens are triggered by different UV photoreceptors.     

Accumulation of trehalose in response to desiccation and salt stress in the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune

Changes in photosynthetic activity and trehalose levels in field‐isolated, natural colonies of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune responding to desiccation and salt stress were investigated. As the water content decreased in N. commune colonies during desiccation, photosynthetic O₂‐evolving activity decreased and no activity was detected in desiccated colonies. A high level of O₂ evolution was restored in the colonies as they absorbed atmospheric moisture, indicating that only a small amount of water is required for reactivation of photosynthesis. No detectable trehalose was found in fully hydrated N. commune colonies; however, trehalose accumulation occurred in response to water loss during desiccation and high levels of trehalose were detected in the air‐dried colonies. Moreover, a 0.2 M NaCl treatment also induced trehalose accumulation to a level equivalent to that by desiccation. Photosynthetic O₂ evolution was inhibited by 0.2 M NaCl, indicating that N. commune can tolerate only low levels of salt. These results suggest that cessation of photosynthesis and trehalose accumulation occur in response to both matric water stress (desiccation) and osmotic water stress (high salt concentration), and that while trehalose may be a less effective osmoprotective compound than others, it is important for the extreme tolerance to desiccation observed in terrestrial cyanobacterium.