A metabolic approach to study algal–bacterial interactions in changing environments

Dittami, Simon M.; Eveillard, Damien; Tonon, Thierry

doi:10.1111/mec.12670

Cited by 51 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…One of the upcoming challenges is to understand the interactions between algae and bacteria in changing salinities on a functional and metabolic level and to examine their importance in the field. A possible approach towards elucidating these interactions is the use of metabolic networks to model potential metabolic fluxes between algae and bacteria during the acclimation process (Dittami et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host–microbe interactions as a driver of acclimation to salinity gradients in brown algal cultures

et al. 2015

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Like most eukaryotes, brown algae live in association with bacterial communities that frequently have beneficial effects on their development. Ectocarpus is a genus of small filamentous brown algae, which comprises a strain that has recently colonized freshwater, a rare transition in this lineage. We generated an inventory of bacteria in Ectocarpus cultures and examined the effect they have on acclimation to an environmental change, that is, the transition from seawater to freshwater medium. Our results demonstrate that Ectocarpus depends on bacteria for this transition: cultures that have been deprived of their associated microbiome do not survive a transfer to freshwater, but restoring their microflora also restores the capacity to acclimate to this change. Furthermore, the transition between the two culture media strongly affects the bacterial community composition. Examining a range of other closely related algal strains, we observed that the presence of two bacterial operational taxonomic units correlated significantly with an increase in low salinity tolerance of the algal culture. Despite differences in the community composition, no indications were found for functional differences in the bacterial metagenomes predicted to be associated with algae in the salinities tested, suggesting functional redundancy in the associated bacterial community. Our study provides an example of how microbial communities may impact the acclimation and physiological response of algae to different environments, and thus possibly act as facilitators of speciation. It paves the way for functional examinations of the underlying host-microbe interactions, both in controlled laboratory and natural conditions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host–microbe interactions as a driver of acclimation to salinity gradients in brown algal cultures

et al. 2015

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“…A recent study has already successfully integrated the metabolomic and transcriptomic data of a brown macroalga (Ritter et al, 2014). This approach has far-reaching impacts on ongoing metabolomic studies of algal-bacterial interactions in changing environments (Dittami et al, 2014). …”

Section: Approaching the Molecular Complexity Of The Algal-bacteria Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring bacteria-induced growth and morphogenesis in the green macroalga order Ulvales (Chlorophyta)

2015

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Green macroalgae, such as Ulvales, lose their typical morphology completely when grown under axenic conditions or in the absence of the appropriate microbiome. As a result, slow growing aberrant phenotypes or even callus-like morphotypes are observed in Ulvales. The cross-kingdom interactions between marine algae and microorganisms are hence not only restricted by the exchange of macronutrients, including vitamins and nutrients, but also by infochemicals such as bacterial morphogenetic compounds. The latter are a fundamental trait mediating the mutualism within the chemosphere where the organisms interact with each other via compounds in their surroundings. Approximately 60 years ago, pilot studies demonstrated that certain bacteria promote growth, whereas other bacteria induce morphogenesis; this is particularly true for the order of Ulvales. However, only slow progress was made towards the underlying mechanism due to the complexity of, for example, algal cultivation techniques, and the lack of standardized experiments in the laboratory. A breakthrough in this research was the discovery of the morphogenetic compound thallusin, which was isolated from an epiphytic bacterium and induces normal germination restoring the foliaceous morphotypes of Monostroma. Owing to the low concentration, the purification and structure elucidation of highly biologically active morphogenetic compounds are still challenging. Recently, it was found that only the combination of two specific bacteria from the Rhodobacteraceae and Flavobacteriaceae can completely recover the growth and morphogenesis of axenic Ulva mutabilis cultures forming a symbiotic tripartite community by chemical communication. This review combines literature detailing evidences of bacteria-induced morphogenesis in Ulvales. A set of standardized experimental approaches is further proposed for the preparation of axenic algal tissues, bacteria isolation, co-cultivation experiments, and the analysis of the chemosphere.

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“…This visualization technology may help us identify more natural products. In addition, approaches based on metabolism and the use of combined metabolic models for algae and their associated bacteria are important to enhance our understanding of the complexity of holobiont systems (Dittami et al ., 2014). This information could guide us to a thorough understanding of the biological effects induced by QS, and eventually allow us to assess QS-related co-evolution.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quorum Sensing Is a Language of Chemical Signals and Plays an Ecological Role in Algal-Bacterial Interactions

Zhou

Lyu

Richlen

et al. 2016

Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences

153

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Algae are ubiquitous in the marine environment, and the ways in which they interact with bacteria are of particular interest in marine ecology field. The interactions between primary producers and bacteria impact the physiology of both partners, alter the chemistry of their environment, and shape microbial diversity. Although algal-bacterial interactions are well known and studied, information regarding the chemical-ecological role of this relationship remains limited, particularly with respect to quorum sensing (QS), which is a system of stimuli and response correlated to population density. In the microbial biosphere, QS is pivotal in driving community structure and regulating behavioral ecology, including biofilm formation, virulence, antibiotic resistance, swarming motility, and secondary metabolite production. Many marine habitats, such as the phycosphere, harbour diverse populations of microorganisms and various signal languages (such as QS-based autoinducers). QS-mediated interactions widely influence algal-bacterial symbiotic relationships, which in turn determine community organization, population structure, and ecosystem functioning. Understanding infochemicals-mediated ecological processes may shed light on the symbiotic interactions between algae host and associated microbes. In this review, we summarize current achievements about how QS modulates microbial behavior, affects symbiotic relationships, and regulates phytoplankton chemical ecological processes. Additionally, we present an overview of QS-modulated co-evolutionary relationships between algae and bacterioplankton, and consider the potential applications and future perspectives of QS.

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A metabolic approach to study algal–bacterial interactions in changing environments

Cited by 51 publications

References 43 publications

Host–microbe interactions as a driver of acclimation to salinity gradients in brown algal cultures

Host–microbe interactions as a driver of acclimation to salinity gradients in brown algal cultures

Exploring bacteria-induced growth and morphogenesis in the green macroalga order Ulvales (Chlorophyta)

Quorum Sensing Is a Language of Chemical Signals and Plays an Ecological Role in Algal-Bacterial Interactions

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