Transcript Slide 1

Dormancy of cells and organisms – strategies for survival
and preservation
Cyanobacteria Dormancy Forms in an Aquatic environment
Ora Hadas, Assaf Sukenik, Ruth Kaplan-Levi
Diti Viner-Mozzini, Merav Hadary
Kinneret Limnological Laboratory
Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research
Task: Determine conditions for the induction of akinetes
 K deficiency triggers akinete formation in a yet unexplained
process.
 50% deficiency in K triggers the formation of akinetes but only
slightly affect growth
 P deficiency and high light have additional effect on the formation
of akinetes K>HL>P
Task: Physiological processes involved in the induction of the dormant stage
 Young akinetes maintain photosynthetic capacity at a similar manner as
found for their adjacent vegetative cells in filaments grown in akineteinducing medium.
 Mature akinetes maintain residual photosynthetic activity.
 Some components of the photosynthetic apparatus appear to remain
intact in akinetes.
 In mature akinetes Photosystem I (PSI) and Photosystem II (PSII)
complexes are kept apparently at a slightly higher molar ratio then in
vegetative young cells (less PSII).
 The phycobilisome pool is reduced in akinetes and disattached from the
core antenna complexes.
Sukenik A., Beardall J. and Hadas O. (2006) Photosynthetic characterization of developing and mature
akinetes of Aphanizomenon ovalisporum (Cyanoprokaryota). J. Phycol. (accepted)
Red fluorescence is lost in mature akinetes
Akinetes induction in –P –K medium
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Filament attached akinetes
Non-Fluoresce Akinete
Fluoresce Akinetes
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Percent
Percent
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Free akinetes
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Time (days)
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Time (days)
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Fluorescence emission spectra of Aphanizomenon cultures and akinetes
1.8
Exponentially grown culture
Akinete-induced culture
Isolated mature akinetes
Fluorescence (normalized)
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1.4
1.2
1.0
.8
.6
.4
.2
0.0
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Wavelength (nm)
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Variations in fluorescence response of vegetative cells and akinetes of A. ovalisporum
Spectral Laser Confocal Scanning Microscopy (LCSM) study
620 nm
655 nm
670 nm
690 nm
720 nm
Exponentially
grown
trichomes
Akineteinduced
trichomes
Isolated
Akinetes
Individual images taken from a lambda scan with 31 steps of 5 nm bandwidth between 600 and 750 nm. Photographs shown are images collected at
specific fluorescence emission wavelength representing background emission at 620 and 720 nm, phycocyanin emission at 655 nm, allophycocyanin
emission at 670 n, and chlorophyll at 690 nm.
Typical fluorescence emission spectra of vegetative cells and akinetes of A.
ovalisporum - A Spectral Laser Confocal Scanning Microscopy (LCSM) study
A - exponentially grown vegetative cell B - vegetative cell in akinete-induced culture, C - trichome attached
akinete in akinete- induced culture, D - isolated fluoresce akinete, E - isolated non-fluoresce akinete.
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Principal component analysis (PCA) of fluorescence emission spectra data
of vegetative cells and akinetes of A. ovalisporum
Exponentially grown vegetative cells
Akinete in exponentially grown cells
Highly fluoresce akinete
Non- fluoresce akinete
Is the loss of red fluorescence in mature akinetes related to growth conditions
Akinetes induction in –P –K medium vs –K +P medium
Non-fluoresce free akinetes
Fluoresce free akinetes
K depleted medium
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100
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Percent
Percent
P & K depleted medium
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0
0
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Time (days)
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Time (days)
28
Growth and akinete formation under different K concentrations
BG11 (control)
0.23 mM K
BG11
0.12 mM K
BG11
0.06 mM K
BG11
0.02 mM K
BG11
K depleted
Doubling
time (d)
5.2
5.4
7.4
14.8
No growth
Akinete concentration (x1000 /ml)
Growth
conditions
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Free akinetes
0.23 mM K
0.11 mM K
0.06 mM K
0.02 mM K
K depleted
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Time (days)
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Task: Determine environmental variables/stimuli responsible for germination
of akinetes
 Induction and isolation of akinetes
 Germination experiments in multi-well plates
 Experimental parameters: P concentration, pH, temperature (10 – 30 C),
light intensity and quality, L/D regime
Preliminary results (Effect of P concentration on germination rate)
P mM
0
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% germination
(STD)
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14 (3)
34 (10)
Task: Development of molecular tools to study the development and
germination of akinetes - Progress, obstacles and plans
Genomic Library construction
Two cultures of Aphanizomenon ovalisporum were provided to Richard
Reinhardt MPI Molecular Genetics Berlin-Dahlem, to create genomic libraries:
1. KLL strain grown in rich medium (BG11)
2. HUJI strain grown in rich medium (BG11)
The genomic libraries were cloned into pCC1Fos.
The number of clones per culture:
1. 13,056 fosmids
2. 15,360 fosmids
A total of 3481 sequencing reads were made from both library fosmids, using
primers T7 and M13(-28)
Contig assembly of Aphanizomenon ovalisporum genome
Anabaena variabillis ATCC 29413
Genome size ~ 6.4 Mbp
Aphanizomenon ovalisporum
~ 3500 sequencing fragments
from the genomic libraries
The sequencing results of the Aphanizomenon ovalisporum genomic libraries
were submitted to the assemble program SeqManTMII 5.03, DNASTAR package .
Anabaena variabillis ATCC 29413 genome was included in the contig assembly,
as both Cyanobacteria are members of the Nostoceae family, it is expected to
share some similarities in various gene loci.
A. ovalisporum nucleotides database – http://est.molgen.mpg.de/Sleeping Beauty/
A. variabillis ATCC 29413 genome - ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/genomes/Bacteria/
Candidate genes in akinetes differentiation:
Comparison between Anabaena genome and Aphanizomenon contigs led to
the selection of nine fosmids that may contain candidate genes loci.
Gene
Function
Fosmid
AvaK
Akinete marker
sbfos01-3p12, sbfos02-6e7
HetR
protease with DNA binding activity
sbfos02-9m21,sbfos02-7e10
DevR
two-component system, regulatory protein sbfos01-3d6, sbfos02-8h10
HepA
ABC transporter
sbfos01-9d6
CphA
Cyanophycin synthetase
sbfos01-4l16
CphB
Cyanophycinase
sbfos01-4l16
Kdp operon K+ transporting ATPase
sbfos01-3f13
Working hypothesis:
Genome sequence of target gene loci may reveal other genetic units that function in a
coordinate manner under the same transcriptional control as the target genes e.g.
genes associated with the akinete’s development/germination processes.
Selected fosmids were provided by M. Kube, from MPI Molecular Genetics Berlin-Dahlem
Working Plan:
 Following up several candidate genes: cloning, sequencing, expression , etc.
 Total RNA extraction and mRNA isolation from various developmental stages
(Exponentially grown culture, akinete induced culture, mature isolated akinetes,
germinating akinetes). In cooperation with MPI
 Preparation of normalized combined cDNA libraries (by MPI) to be further used for
microarray slides.
 ESTs of a cDNA library
 Microarray analysis to test genes expression from different developmental stages.
 Candidate genes selected from the microarray experiments will be further analyzed by
Real-Time PCR.
 Genes sequences will be deposited in SB gene database and analyzed by
bioinformatic tools (i.e. protein structure, comparison to genes expressed in other
organisms, etc).
 Establishment of a transformation system, in order to follow gene expression in vivo, by
GFP (green fluorescence protein) fusions.