Genomics and Metabolomics of Cyanobacteria

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 3949

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, 24 Tsar Assen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Interests: cyanobacteria – comparative genomics; genetic biomarkers; toxins and bioactive compounds produced from cyanobacteria and their effects on different in vivo / in vitro test-models; health hazards of the cyanotoxins
Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, 24 Tsar Assen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Interests: bioinformatics; immunoinformatics; phylogenetics; genomes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cyanobacteria are among the most ancient organisms on Earth that have unique adaptive abilities. They inhabit various ecological niches (marine and fresh water, geothermal springs, soils, hot deserts, volcanic craters, and polar glaciers) and are believed to owe their survival to unusual genetic adaptations that allow them to thrive in different environmental conditions. Their widespread distribution is also due to the various secondary metabolites produced by the cyanobacterial strains, some of which are toxic (cyanotoxins) and others help to form symbiotic associations with other groups of organisms (fungi, plants, and animals). Considering these features of cyanobacteria, in recent years, there has been increased scientific interest in this group of organisms both in terms of the different adaptation mechanisms and in terms of the biological activity of the secondary metabolites produced by them and their application in various areas of human activity.

In this context, the aim of this Special Issue is to expand the current knowledge on the genomics and metabolomics of Cyanobacteria. Therefore, I invite the submission of original research articles, reviews, or short communications related to the structure, function, or evolution of the cyanobacterial genome, specific metabolites, biomarkers, adaptive mechanisms, and symbiotic relationships that could find application in the field of the taxonomy, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and food industries.

Dr. Ivanka Teneva
Dr. Dzhemal Moten
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • cyanobacteria
  • genomics
  • genetics
  • specific metabolites
  • bioresources
  • practical application

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 20765 KiB  
Article
Limnofasciculus baicalensis gen. et sp. nov. (Coleofasciculaceae, Coleofasciculales): A New Genus of Cyanobacteria Isolated from Sponge Fouling in Lake Baikal, Russia
by Ekaterina Sorokovikova, Irina Tikhonova, Peter Evseev, Andrey Krasnopeev, Igor Khanaev, Sergey Potapov, Anna Gladkikh, Ivan Nebesnykh and Olga Belykh
Microorganisms 2023, 11(7), 1779; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071779 - 09 Jul 2023
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Abstract
The proliferation of benthic cyanobacteria has been observed in Lake Baikal since 2011 and is a vivid manifestation of the ecological crisis occurring in the littoral zone. The cyanobacterium Symplocastrum sp. has formed massive fouling on all types of benthic substrates, including endemic [...] Read more.
The proliferation of benthic cyanobacteria has been observed in Lake Baikal since 2011 and is a vivid manifestation of the ecological crisis occurring in the littoral zone. The cyanobacterium Symplocastrum sp. has formed massive fouling on all types of benthic substrates, including endemic Baikal sponges. The strain BBK-W-15 (=IPPAS B-2062T), which was isolated from sponge fouling in 2015, was used for further taxonomic determination. A polyphasic approach revealed that it is a cryptic taxon of cyanobacteria. Morphological evaluation of the strain indicated the presence of cylindrical filaments with isodiametric cells enclosed in individual sheaths and coleodesmoid false branching. Strain ultrastructure (fascicular thylakoids and type C cell division) is characteristic of the Microcoleaceae and Coleofasciculaceae families. An integrated analysis that included 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, conserved protein phylogeny and whole-genome comparisons indicated the unique position of BBK-W-15, thus supporting the proposed delineation of the new genus Limnofasciculus. Through characterisation by morphology, 16S, ITS and genomic analysis, a new cyanobacterium of the family Coleofasciculaceae Limnofasciculus baicalensis gen. et sp. nov. was described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genomics and Metabolomics of Cyanobacteria)
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14 pages, 5548 KiB  
Article
Plastoquinone Lipids: Their Synthesis via a Bifunctional Gene and Physiological Function in a Euryhaline Cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002
by Mimari Kondo, Motohide Aoki, Kazuho Hirai, Ryo Ito, Mikio Tsuzuki and Norihiro Sato
Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1177; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051177 - 30 Apr 2023
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Abstract
Eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms synthesize triacylglycerols, which are crucial physiologically as major carbon and energy storage compounds and commercially as food oils and raw materials for carbon-neutral biofuel production. TLC analysis has revealed triacylglycerols are present in several cyanobacteria. However, mass spectrometric analysis has [...] Read more.
Eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms synthesize triacylglycerols, which are crucial physiologically as major carbon and energy storage compounds and commercially as food oils and raw materials for carbon-neutral biofuel production. TLC analysis has revealed triacylglycerols are present in several cyanobacteria. However, mass spectrometric analysis has shown that freshwater cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, contains plastoquinone-B and acyl plastoquinol with triacylglycerol-like TLC mobility, concomitantly with the absence of triacylglycerol. Synechocystis contains slr2103, which is responsible for the bifunctional synthesis of plastoquinone-B and acyl plastoquinol and also for NaCl-stress acclimatizing cell growth. However, information is limited on the taxonomical distribution of these plastoquinone lipids, and their synthesis genes and physiological roles in cyanobacteria. In this study, a euryhaline cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, shows the same plastoquinone lipids as those in Synechocystis, although the levels are much lower than in Synechocystis, triacylglycerol being absent. Furthermore, through an analysis of a disruptant to the homolog of slr2103 in Synechococcus, it is found that the slr2103 homolog in Synechococcus, similar to slr2103 in Synechocystis, contributes bifunctionally to the synthesis of plastoquinone-B and acyl plastoquinol; however, the extent of the contribution of the homolog gene to NaCl acclimatization is smaller than that of slr2103 in Synechocystis. These observations suggest strain- or ecoregion-dependent development of the physiological roles of plastoquinone lipids in cyanobacteria and show the necessity to re-evaluate previously identified cyanobacterial triacylglycerol through TLC analysis with mass spectrometric techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genomics and Metabolomics of Cyanobacteria)
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