The carotenoids of blue-green algae

Hertzberg, Sissel; Liaaen‐Jensen, Synnøve; Siegelman, H. W.

doi:10.1016/s0031-9422(00)97362-x

Cited by 123 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Figure 3B shows the carotenoid pattern of N. commune DRH1 after 1 day of UV-B treatment and the corresponding pattern of the control culture. As reported for other cyanobacteria (15), the carotenoid composition of N. commune was dominated by ␤-carotene, echinenone, and myxoxanthophyll, while canthaxanthin and zeaxanthin were only minor components. Specific contents (milligrams of pigment/milligram of chlorophyll a) of echinenone, myxoxanthophyll, and canthaxanthin were significantly increased (P Ͻ 0.01), while ␤-carotene and zeaxanthin showed no significant differences in comparison to control cultures.…”

Section: ϫ2supporting

confidence: 75%

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

1997

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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 thought 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.The terrestrial nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Nostoc commune Vaucher flourishes in extremely cold and dry habitats which are characterized by intense solar radiation, extreme temperature differences, and regular periods of desiccation (34, 42; for a review, see reference 7). N. commune, in its natural habitat, forms macroscopic colonies with filaments embedded in gelatinous glycan. In the past, most studies concentrated on the extraordinary drought resistance of N. commune (33; for a review, see reference 29), but only few investigated its UV tolerance (35,41).Mechanisms counteracting UV-B damage have been demonstrated in plants and cyanobacteria. Besides repair of UVinduced damages of DNA by excision repair and photoreactivation (10, 26) and accumulation of detoxifying enzymes and carotenoids (24,25), an important mechanism to prevent UV photodamage is the synthesis of UV-absorbing compounds. Several studies provide evidence that epidermally located phenylpropanoids, especially flavonoid derivatives, protect higher plants by absorbing harmful UV radiation (22, 37). Mycosporine amino acids (MAAs) are thought to fulfill a comparable purpose in lower organisms (14, 21). MAAs are water-soluble, substituted cyclohexenes which are linked to amino acids and iminoalcohols and have absorption maxima between 310 and 360 nm. Scytonemin, which has an in vivo absorption maximum at 370 nm and is located in the cyanobacterial sheath, has been proposed to serve as a UV-A sunscreen (13). It is a yellowbrown, lipid-soluble dimeric pigment of terrestrial cyanobacteria with a molecular mass of 544 Da and a structure based on indolic and phenolic subunits (30).A UV-A/B-absorbing pigment with absorption maxima at 312 and 335 nm was found in N. commune colonies exposed to high solar radiation (35). Recently, its chemical structure has been shown to be an oligo...

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Section: ϫ2supporting

confidence: 75%

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

1997

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“…Bowman). If high b-carotene concentrations occur concurrently with highly elevated zeaxanthin concentrations, the b-carotene is most likely derived from cyanobacteria (Hertzberg et al 1971). The presence of bacterial mats has been noted where major headwaters enter the fjord and it is assumed that they contain cyanobacteria-like bacteria (Brewin 2003;McLeod & Wing 2007).…”

Section: Benthic Cyanobacterial Matsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution of diatom and pigment sedimentary records in surface sediments in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand

Schüller

Savage

2011

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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Algal remains (pigment concentrations, diatom frustules) and organic matter sources (d 15 N, d13 C) in surface sediments (0Á2 cm) were quantified and related to environmental gradients in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand. Sedimentary pigment concentrations, in particular diatoxanthin and fucoxanthin (diatom biomarkers) were elevated near Malaspina Reach, which experiences greater incident irradiance and mixing of silica-rich freshwater with nutrient-rich marine water. In contrast, diatom frustules were recovered in low concentrations in deep basins including Malaspina Reach, most likely related to dissolution and grazing. Spatial variability in pigments in Doubtful Sound was mainly correlated with light conditions (incident irradiance, chromophoric dissolved organic matter). By contrast, diatoms were principally correlated with salinity gradients (effective freshwater depth) and water column stratification (mixing). This study highlights the importance of using complementary sedimentary proxies when reconstructing algal abundance and community composition in fjord environments.

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“…Most studies of cyanobacterial chemotaxonomy have focused on primary metabolites and include studies of cellular fatty acid composition (12,20,22), carotenoids (17,67), and aromatic amino acid biochemical pathways (13). Recent investigations have examined variation in secondary-metabolite production, using DNA sequences to differentiate between toxin-producing and nontoxic strains of Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, and Microcystis (2,11,21,33).…”

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confidence: 99%

Morphological, Chemical, and Genetic Diversity of Tropical Marine Cyanobacteria Lyngbya spp. and Symploca spp. ( Oscillatoriales )

Thacker

Paul

2004

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Although diverse natural products have been isolated from the benthic, filamentous cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula, it is unclear whether this chemical variation can be used to establish taxonomic relationships among disparate collections. We compared morphological characteristics, secondary-metabolite compositions, and partial 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences among several collections of L. majuscula Gomont, Lyngbya spp., and Symploca spp. from Guam and the Republic of Palau. The morphological characteristics examined were cell length, cell width, and the presence or absence of a calyptra. Secondary metabolites were analyzed by twodimensional thin-layer chromatography. Each collection possessed a distinct cellular morphology that readily distinguished Lyngbya spp. from Symploca spp. Each collection yielded a unique chemotype, but common chemical characteristics were shared among four collections of L. majuscula. A phylogeny based on secondarymetabolite composition supported the reciprocal monophyly of Lyngbya and Symploca but yielded a basal polytomy for Lyngbya. Pairwise sequence divergence among species ranged from 10 to 14% across 605 bp of 16S rDNA, while collections of L. majuscula showed 0 to 1.3% divergence. Although the phylogeny of 16S rDNA sequences strongly supported the reciprocal monophyly of Lyngbya and Symploca as well as the monophyly of Lyngbya bouillonii and L. majuscula, genetic divergence was not correlated with chemical and morphological differences. These data suggest that 16S rDNA sequence analyses do not predict chemical variability among Lyngbya species. Other mechanisms, including higher rates of evolution for biosynthetic genes, horizontal gene transfer, and interactions between different genotypes and environmental conditions, may play important roles in generating qualitative and quantitative chemical variation within and among Lyngbya species.The benthic, filamentous cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula Gomont is distributed throughout the tropics in reef and lagoonal habitats (18,61,62), often forming dense mats that carpet benthic substrates. L. majuscula can compete with macroalgae (59) and is unpalatable to fish, crabs, urchins, and other macroherbivores (43,50,57). However, specialized mesoherbivores, such as the sea hare Stylocheilus striatus, may preferentially consume L. majuscula (8,41,51). Secondary metabolites produced by L. majuscula are responsible for both the deterrence of feeding by macroherbivores and the stimulation of feeding by mesoherbivores (41,51,57).Over 100 novel secondary metabolites have been isolated from collections of L. majuscula. Although these collections have been globally distributed, there is little evidence that any given types of secondary metabolites are associated with specific geographic regions (10). Indeed, collections within limited geographic areas are often extremely diverse. On Guam, L. majuscula collections have yielded indanone metabolites (45), lyngbyastatins (16,27,64), malyngamides (4, 5, 38), malyngolide (7), majusculamides (35), ...

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The carotenoids of blue-green algae

Cited by 123 publications

References 14 publications

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

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

Spatial distribution of diatom and pigment sedimentary records in surface sediments in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand

Morphological, Chemical, and Genetic Diversity of Tropical Marine Cyanobacteria Lyngbya spp. and Symploca spp. ( Oscillatoriales )

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