Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yu Bai, Tianjun Cao, Oliver Dautermann, Paul Buschbeck, Michael B. Cantrell, Yinjuan Chen, Christopher D. Lein, Xiaohuo Shi, Maxwell A. Ware, Fenghua Yang, Huan Zhang, Lihan Zhang, Graham Peers, Xiaobo Li, Martin Lohr
Summary: Fucoxanthin is a major light-harvesting pigment in ecologically important algae. The biosynthetic pathway of fucoxanthin has been identified by studying knockout mutants of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The pathway is more complex than expected and involves the metabolism of diadinoxanthin as a central regulatory hub. The study also reveals the evolution of genes for xanthophyll cycle enzymes and the alternative pathway in brown algae.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Ryan W. Paerl, Nathaniel P. Curtis, Meriel J. Bittner, Melanie R. Cohn, Scott M. Gifford, Catherine C. Bannon, Elden Rowland, Erin M. Bertrand
Summary: This study discovered a new degradation product of vitamin B1 called FAMP, which can be used by marine microbes to meet their vitamin B1 demands. It was also found that FAMP occurs in the surface ocean. These findings expand our understanding of vitamin degradation and the B1 cycle in the ocean, and have important implications for the growth and nutrient cycling of marine organisms.
Article
Microbiology
Charlotte Nef, Simon Dittami, Raymond Kaas, Enora Briand, Cyril Noel, Francis Mairet, Matthieu Garnier
Summary: Haptophyte microalgae play important roles in microbial communities, and their acquisition of vitamin B-12 was studied in this research. The results showed that although the microalgae can scavenge B-12 from bacterial extracts, co-cultivation with bacteria did not provide sufficient B-12. However, cultivating the microalgae with a complex bacterial consortium partially rescued its growth under vitamin-deprived conditions.
Article
Limnology
Emily R. Brown, Sam G. Moore, David A. Gaul, Julia Kubanek
Summary: This study uncovers the subtle physiological responses of the phytoplankton Alexandrium minutum to copepodamides and suggests that copepodamides may disrupt enzyme activity, leading to increased toxin biosynthesis. This research provides important insights into the chemosensory ecology of predator-prey interactions in phytoplankton.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Ruth-Anne Sandaa, Marius R. Saltvedt, Hakon Dahle, Haina Wang, Selina Vage, Romain Blanc-Mathieu, Ida H. Steen, Nigel Grimsley, Bente Edvardsen, Hiroyuki Ogata, Janice Lawrence
Summary: Haptophytes are an important part of the marine phytoplankton community, acting as both primary producers and mixotrophs that graze on bacteria and protists. Viruses play a significant role in influencing the ecology and diversity of phytoplankton, with most interactions described as 'boom and bust'. However, haptophytes are often part of diverse communities with low densities, decreasing their susceptibility to highly specific viruses.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Sophie Clayton, Leah Gibala-Smith, Kathryn Mogatas, Chanel Flores-Vargas, Kayla Marciniak, Maci Wigginton, Margaret R. Mulholland
Summary: This paper highlights the use of imaging and collaboration tools during laboratory lockdowns to advance research and monitoring goals in phytoplankton analysis. It discusses how imaging technologies and online taxonomic identification platforms can be used remotely to continue monitoring, research, and training activities when in-person activities are restricted, thus expanding taxonomic training and research capacity.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Justin Maire, Sam K. Girvan, Sophie E. Barkla, Alexis Perez-Gonzalez, David J. Suggett, Linda L. Blackall, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
Summary: This study examines the interactions between Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria, revealing the presence of bacteria inside Symbiodiniaceae cells as well as closely associated with their external cell surface. Different species of Symbiodiniaceae harbor distinct and highly diverse bacterial communities, which might be involved in the physiology of Symbiodiniaceae.
Review
Plant Sciences
Juan C. Castro, Carlos G. Castro, Marianela Cobos
Summary: Vitamin C is an essential compound with diverse functions in organisms. In plants, its biosynthesis through the L-galactose pathway is regulated by genetic and biochemical strategies, including transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, control of enzyme levels and activity, feedback inhibition, compartmentation, metabolon assembly, and electron flow. This knowledge is crucial for developing genetically improved fruits and vegetables enriched with vitamin C.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Siheng Lin, Zhangxi Hu, Xiaoying Song, Christopher J. Gobler, Ying Zhong Tang
Summary: This study investigates the genetic basis of vitamin B-12 auxotrophy in dinoflagellates and its ecological significance. The findings suggest that most dinoflagellates lack functional metE genes or do not possess metE genes at all, providing the genetic basis for the widespread B-12 auxotrophy observed in these organisms. The study sheds light on the nutritional ecology of dinoflagellates.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jugnu Goyal, Prabhakar Kumar Verma
Summary: Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds abundantly found in fiber-rich root vegetables, fruits, and their edible items, showing various therapeutic activities due to the presence of hydroxyl groups, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects. Substituent groups play a role in the biochemical actions and metabolism of flavonoids. Rutin, a type of flavonol, is a glycosidic compound composed of rutinose and quercetin, found in over 70 plant species and plant-derived foods, especially grapefruit, buckwheat seeds, cherries, apricots, grapes, onions, plums, and oranges. It is also known as a citrus flavonoid, rutoside, and sophorin, and has a low molecular weight.
MINI-REVIEWS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Freddy Bunbury, Evelyne Deery, Andrew P. Sayer, Vaibhav Bhardwaj, Ellen L. Harrison, Martin J. Warren, Alison G. Smith
Summary: Cobalamin (vitamin B-12) is a co-factor for essential metabolic reactions in multiple eukaryotic taxa, but can only be produced by prokaryotes. Bacteria can colonize algae, forming stable communities that exchange compounds such as B-12. Bacteria that release more B-12 may be selected for in symbiotic relationships with B-12-dependent algae.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Stephanie E. Hampton, Sapna Sharma, Matthew R. Brousil, Alessandro Filazzola
Summary: In seasonally ice-covered lakes, winter and summer storms have different effects on the relationships between algae and nutrients. Winter storms disrupt these relationships by changing the under-ice light environment, while summer storms are associated with higher water temperatures and chlorophyll levels.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mu Feng, Rajesh K. Harijan, Lawrence D. Harris, Peter C. Tyler, Richard F. G. Frohlich, Morais Brown, Vern L. Schramm
Summary: Helicobacter pylori utilizes the unusual mqn pathway for menaquinone biosynthesis, with HpAFLDA playing a significant role in cell growth and being inhibited by MTCF. Both HpMTAN and HpAFLDA are crucial in the pathway for menaquinone-6 production in H. pylori.
Article
Biology
Tamsyn Stanborough, Ngoc Anh Thu Ho, Esther M. M. Bulloch, Ghader Bashiri, Stephanie S. S. Dawes, Etheline W. W. Akazong, James Titterington, Timothy M. M. Allison, Wanting Jiao, Jodie M. M. Johnston
Summary: Menaquinones (MKs) are vital in bacterial respiratory chains for both aerobic and anaerobic respiration. The biosynthesis of MKs requires strict regulation to maintain cellular redox balance. A recent study discovered that the MenD enzyme, responsible for the first step of MK biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is allosterically inhibited by the metabolite DHNA. This study investigates whether the same mechanism is conserved in Staphylococcus aureus (Sau), a distant genus that also utilizes MK. The results demonstrate that DHNA binds to and inhibits the SEPHCHC synthase activity of Sau-MenD enzymes, providing insights into the conservation of feedback inhibition in the MK biosynthesis pathway of Sau.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Noriko Okamoto, Ryan M. R. Gawryluk, Javier del Campo, Jurgen F. H. Strassert, Julius Lukes, Thomas A. Richards, Alexandra Z. Worden, Alyson E. Santoro, Patrick J. Keeling
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Plant Sciences
Susanne Wilken, Chang Jae Choi, Alexandra Z. Worden
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Microbiology
Amy E. Zimmerman, Cristina Howard-Varona, David M. Needham, Seth G. John, Alexandra Z. Worden, Matthew B. Sullivan, Jacob R. Waldbauer, Maureen L. Coleman
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Jeremy G. Wideman, Adam Monier, Raquel Rodriguez-Martinez, Guy Leonard, Emily Cook, Camille Poirier, Finlay Maguire, David S. Milner, Nicholas A. T. Irwin, Karen Moore, Alyson E. Santoro, Patrick J. Keeling, Alexandra Z. Worden, Thomas A. Richards
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Raquel Rodriguez-Martinez, Guy Leonard, David S. Milner, Sebastian Sudek, Mike Conway, Karen Moore, Theresa Hudson, Frederic Mahe, Patrick J. Keeling, Alyson E. Santoro, Alexandra Z. Worden, Thomas A. Richards
Article
Ecology
Luis M. Bolanos, Lee Karp-Boss, Chang Jae Choi, Alexandra Z. Worden, Jason R. Graff, Nils Haentjens, Alison P. Chase, Alice Della Penna, Peter Gaube, Francoise Morison, Susanne Menden-Deuer, Toby K. Westberry, Robert T. O'Malley, Emmanuel Boss, Michael J. Behrenfeld, Stephen J. Giovannoni
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Drahomira Faktorova, R. Ellen R. Nisbet, Jose A. Fernandez Robledo, Elena Casacuberta, Lisa Sudek, Andrew E. Allen, Manuel Ares, Cristina Areste, Cecilia Balestreri, Adrian C. Barbrook, Patrick Beardslee, Sara Bender, David S. Booth, Francois-Yves Bouget, Chris Bowler, Susana A. Breglia, Colin Brownlee, Gertraud Burger, Heriberto Cerutti, Rachele Cesaroni, Miguel A. Chiurillo, Thomas Clemente, Duncan B. Coles, Jackie L. Collier, Elizabeth C. Cooney, Kathryn Coyne, Roberto Docampo, Christopher L. Dupont, Virginia Edgcomb, Elin Einarsson, Pia A. Elustondo, Fernan Federici, Veronica Freire-Beneitez, Nastasia J. Freyria, Kodai Fukuda, Paulo A. Garcia, Peter R. Girguis, Fatma Gomaa, Sebastian G. Gornik, Jian Guo, Vladimir Hampl, Yutaka Hanawa, Esteban R. Haro-Contreras, Elisabeth Hehenberger, Andrea Highfield, Yoshihisa Hirakawa, Amanda Hopes, Christopher J. Howe, Ian Hu, Jorge Ibanez, Nicholas A. T. Irwin, Yuu Ishii, Natalia Ewa Janowicz, Adam C. Jones, Ambar Kachale, Konomi Fujimura-Kamada, Binnypreet Kaur, Jonathan Z. Kaye, Eleanna Kazana, Patrick J. Keeling, Nicole King, Lawrence A. Klobutcher, Noelia Lander, Imen Lassadi, Zhuhong Li, Senjie Lin, Jean-Claude Lozano, Fulei Luan, Shinichiro Maruyama, Tamara Matute, Cristina Miceli, Jun Minagawa, Mark Moosburner, Sebastian R. Najle, Deepak Nanjappa, Isabel C. Nimmo, Luke Noble, Anna M. G. Novak Vanclova, Mariusz Nowacki, Isaac Nunez, Arnab Pain, Angela Piersanti, Sandra Pucciarelli, Jan Pyrih, Joshua S. Rest, Mariana Rius, Deborah Robertson, Albane Ruaud, Inaki Ruiz-Trillo, Monika A. Sigg, Pamela A. Silver, Claudio H. Slamovits, G. Jason Smith, Brittany N. Sprecher, Rowena Stern, Estienne C. Swart, Anastasios D. Tsaousis, Lev Tsypin, Aaron Turkewitz, Jernej Turnsek, Matus Valach, Valerie Verge, Peter von Dassow, Tobias von der Haar, Ross F. Waller, Lu Wang, Xiaoxue Wen, Glen Wheeler, April Woods, Huan Zhang, Thomas Mock, Alexandra Z. Worden, Julius Lukes
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Corinna Breusing, Darrin T. Schultz, Sebastian Sudek, Alexandra Z. Worden, Curtis Robert Young
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Elizabeth C. Cooney, Noriko Okamoto, Anna Cho, Elisabeth Hehenberger, Thomas A. Richards, Alyson E. Santoro, Alexandra Z. Worden, Brian S. Leander, Patrick J. Keeling
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabian Rabe von Pappenheim, Matteo Aldeghi, Brateen Shome, Tadhg Begley, Bert L. de Groot, Kai Tittmann
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Chang Jae Choi, Valeria Jimenez, David M. Needham, Camille Poirier, Charles Bachy, Harriet Alexander, Susanne Wilken, Francisco P. Chavez, Sebastian Sudek, Stephen J. Giovannoni, Alexandra Z. Worden
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kenneth D. Hoadley, Maria Hamilton, Camille L. Poirier, Chang Jae Choi, Cheuk-Man Yung, Alexandra Z. Worden
Summary: This study identified interactions between coral grazing behavior and the growth rates and cell abundances of pelagic microbial groups surrounding a Caribbean reef. Differences in reductions in microbial cell abundance during incubation experiments with three reef corals suggest specific coral or microbial mechanisms are at play. Peaks in removal rates of Prochiorococcus and Synechococcus cyanobacteria appear highest during postsunset incubations and coincide with microbial cell division, indicating selective feeding by corals across coral species and picoplankton groups may influence overall microbial composition and abundance over coral reefs.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darcy L. McRose, Dianne K. Newman
Summary: This study explores the phenomenon of microbes increasing the production of redox-active antibiotics under phosphorus limitation, showing that these antibiotics solubilize phosphorus through reductive dissolution of iron oxides and enhance microbial growth under phosphorus-limited conditions. The research highlights the important role of antibiotics in phosphorus acquisition and cycling.
Article
Microbiology
Maria Hamilton, Martina Mascioni, Elisabeth Hehenberger, Charles Bachy, Charmaine Yung, Maria Vernet, Alexandra Z. Worden
Summary: Our study in the Andvord fjord in the West Antarctic Peninsula revealed distinct seasonal patterns in protistan molecular diversity. We also discovered a novel phytoplankton species with proliferation patterns linked to temperature shifts and established evolutionary relationships between this novel lineage and other algae. The study provides critical knowledge on how specific phytoplankton at the base of Antarctic food webs respond to warming and on overall diversity and community structure in this changing polar environment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darcy L. McRose, Jinyang Li, Dianne K. Newman
Summary: Secondary metabolites play important roles in plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, contributing to communication, competition, and nutrient acquisition. The study investigates the distinct functions of plant and microbial Redox-Active Metabolites (RAMs) in different environmental conditions, focusing on the capacity of coumarins and phenazines to increase the growth of iron-limited pseudomonads. The results highlight the profound impact of chemical microenvironments on secondary metabolite function and suggest the ability of plants to tune the utility of microbial secondary metabolites by altering carbon released in root exudates.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)