Metabolic relation of cyanobacteria to aromatic compounds

Abstract

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green (micro)algae, are able to sustain many types of chemical stress because of metabolic adaptations that allow them to survive and successfully compete in a variety of ecosystems, including polluted ones. As photoautotrophic bacteria, these microorganisms synthesize aromatic amino acids, which are precursors for a large variety of substances that contain aromatic ring(s) and that are naturally formed in the cells of these organisms. Hence, the transformation of aromatic secondary metabolites by cyanobacteria is the result of the possession of a suitable “enzymatic apparatus” to carry out the biosynthesis of these compounds according to cellular requirements. Another crucial aspect that should be evaluated using varied criteria is the response of cyanobacteria to the presence of extracellular aromatic compounds. Some aspects of the relationship between aromatic compounds and cyanobacteria such as the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, the influence of aromatic compounds on these organisms and the fate of aromatic substances inside microalgal cells are presented in this paper. The search for this information has suggested that there is a lack of knowledge about the regulation of the biosynthesis of aromatic substances and about the transport of these compounds into cyanobacterial cells. These aspects are of pivotal importance with regard to the biotransformation of aromatic compounds and understanding them may be the goals of future research.

Genomic, metabolic and phenotypic variability shapes ecological differentiation and intraspecies interactions of Alteromonas macleodii

“…with phototrophs 54,55 , the cluster might likewise enable degradation of ecologically more relevant aromatics from cyanobacteria, e.g. derivatives of benzoate or cinnamate 56 .…”

Experimental Treatment of Hazardous Ash Waste by Microbial Consortium Aspergillus niger and Chlorella sp.: Decrease of the Ni Content and Identification of Adsorption Sites by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

“…The mentioned frequencies are associated with vibrations of aromatic carbon ( Rahman et al, 2014 ; Meenu and Xu, 2019 ). Some amino acids (and their metabolites), which are synthesized by algae and other microorganisms, contain an aromatic ring in their structure ( Żyszka-Haberecht et al, 2019 ). Aromatic structural units are also bound in various pigments, some of which (melanins) are present in fungal mycelium ( Rahman et al, 2014 ).…”

Changes in Growth, Photosynthesis Performance, Pigments, and Toxin Contents of Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria after Exposure to Macroalgal Allelochemicals

“…Moreover, MC-LR is listed as one of the most important algal toxins [ 71 ], that is especially harmful both for humans and animals. What is more, the bioaccumulation of MC in water organisms is documented [ 72 ], while phenol and its derivatives are one of the largest groups of environmental pollutants, that exhibit a wide range of biological effects, e.g., affecting both the activity of enzymes and photosynthetic processes of marine organisms [ 73 ]. Importantly, phenol due to its microbial toxicity accumulates in contaminated soils [ 74 ].…”