Diatom fucan polysaccharide precipitates carbon during algal blooms

Vidal‐Melgosa, Silvia; Sichert, Andreas; Francis, Ben; Bartosik, Daniel; Niggemann, Jutta; Wichels, Antje; Willats, William G. T.; Fuchs, Bernhard M.; Teeling, Hanno; Becher, Dörte; Schweder, Thomas; Amann, Rudolf; Hehemann, Jan‐Hendrik

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21009-6

Cited by 89 publications

(176 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…3a,b) and thus a FCSP is most likely secreted by this diatom species, which might have specific modifications that are not recognized by mAbs BAM2 and BAM3. It is worth mentioning that FCSPs were only known to be produced by macroalgae and some marine echinoderms, but were recently found to be produced by diatoms (Vidal‐Melgosa et al 2021). The specific structure of diatom fucan is not known.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Secretion of sulfated fucans by diatoms may contribute to marine aggregate formation

Huang

Vidal‐Melgosa

Sichert

et al. 2021

Limnology & Oceanography

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Microalgae produce copious amounts of structurally diverse polysaccharides, some are bound within cells and cell walls, while others are secreted into the surrounding seawater. A fraction of the secreted polysaccharides assembles into particles promoting aggregation and in turn formation of aggregates increases the export of carbon into the deep ocean via sinking. However, specific polysaccharides contributing to particle formation and carbon export remain unknown. Here, we studied microalgae polysaccharide composition in a system of reduced complexity consisting of lab grown monospecific cultures of the centric diatom species Thalassiosira weissflogii and Chaetoceros socialis. We followed the abundance and dynamics of five specific polysaccharide types in the dissolved and particulate organic matter (DOM and POM) for two weeks. Polysaccharides were detected using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for β‐1,4‐mannan, β‐1,4‐xylan, arabinogalactan, and two fucose‐containing sulfated polysaccharide (FCSP) epitopes. Additionally, glycan composition of all samples was analyzed by monosaccharide analysis. The time series revealed polysaccharides partition differently between the dissolved and particulate carbon pools. β‐1,4‐xylan and β‐1,4‐mannan were mainly present in POM, possibly as cell wall polymers, while FCSPs were found in both DOM and POM. The data showed that the main glycan component secreted by diatoms was fucose‐containing polysaccharide, which accumulated in DOM over time. Roller tank experiments were used to induce aggregate formation finding FCSP transitioned from DOM to POM under aggregating conditions. These results suggest that diatom‐secreted FCSPs are involved in the formation of aggregates, which promote the formation of particles, and potentially carbon export.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…S2). The mAb JIM13 (Knox et al 1991) was selected based on a previous study, where the epitope recognized by this mAb was detected in samples harvested during a diatom bloom in the North Sea (Vidal‐Melgosa et al 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secretion of sulfated fucans by diatoms may contribute to marine aggregate formation

Huang

Vidal‐Melgosa

Sichert

et al. 2021

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…It is also generally known that the genes coding prokaryotic enzymes that cleave sulfate residues (sulfatase) and carboxyl residues (carboxylase) are widespread and expressed in marine microbes [ 36 ]. However, a recent study suggested that a fucose-containing sulphated polysaccharide excreted by diatoms is less susceptible to enzymatic degradation relative to non-sulphated polysaccharide [ 37 ]. Therefore, a question arises regarding the lability of TEP in deep waters: Are they good substrates for prokaryotes or not?…”

Section: Potential Factors Affecting Tep Distribution In the Deep Oceansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transparent Exopolymer Particles in Deep Oceans: Synthesis and Future Challenges

Nagata

Yamada

Fukuda

2021

Gels

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Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) are a class of abundant gel-like particles that are omnipresent in seawater. While versatile roles of TEP in the regulation of carbon cycles have been studied extensively over the past three decades, investigators have only recently begun to find intriguing features of TEP distribution and processes in deep waters. The emergence of new research reflects the growing attention to ecological and biogeochemical processes in deep oceans, where large quantities of organic carbon are stored and processed. Here, we review recent research concerning the role of TEP in deep oceans. We discuss: (1) critical features in TEP distribution patterns, (2) TEP sources and sinks, and (3) contributions of TEP to the organic carbon inventory. We conclude that gaining a better understanding of TEP-mediated carbon cycling requires the effective application of gel theory and particle coagulation models for deep water settings. To achieve this goal, we need a better recognition and determination of the quantities, turnover, transport, chemical properties, and microbial processing of TEP.

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“…These substrate preferences could be particularly important in natural environments, where microbial communities are exposed to mixtures of polysaccharides and catabolite repression could govern their sequential hydrolysis. For example, during a diatom spring bloom, simple substrates such as laminarin and starch were used throughout the bloom, whereas more complex cell wall polysaccharides were used in the later stages of the bloom (Francis et al, 2021;Vidal-Melgosa et al, 2021). This shows that microbial ecosystems display a hierarchy of substrate utilization, yet it is unclear if these patterns are caused by gene regulation or alternatively, by a succession of different specialized degraders within the microbial community (Teeling et al, 2012).…”

Section: Challenge 3 | Sensing Regulation and Phenotypic Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Polysaccharide-Bacteria Interactions From the Lens of Evolutionary Ecology

Sichert

Cordero

2021

Front. Microbiol.

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Microbes have the unique ability to break down the complex polysaccharides that make up the bulk of organic matter, initiating a cascade of events that leads to their recycling. Traditionally, the rate of organic matter degradation is perceived to be limited by the chemical and physical structure of polymers. Recent advances in microbial ecology, however, suggest that polysaccharide persistence can result from non-linear growth dynamics created by the coexistence of alternate degradation strategies, metabolic roles as well as by ecological interactions between microbes. This complex “landscape” of degradation strategies and interspecific interactions present in natural microbial communities appears to be far from evolutionarily stable, as frequent gene gain and loss reshape enzymatic repertoires and metabolic roles. In this perspective, we discuss six challenges at the heart of this problem, ranging from the evolution of genetic repertoires, phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal populations, the development of a trait-based ecology, and the impact of metabolic interactions and microbial cooperation on degradation rates. We aim to reframe some of the key questions in the study of polysaccharide-bacteria interactions in the context of eco-evolutionary dynamics, highlighting possible research directions that, if pursued, would advance our understanding of polysaccharide degraders at the interface between biochemistry, ecology and evolution.

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Diatom fucan polysaccharide precipitates carbon during algal blooms

Cited by 89 publications

References 75 publications

Secretion of sulfated fucans by diatoms may contribute to marine aggregate formation

Secretion of sulfated fucans by diatoms may contribute to marine aggregate formation

Transparent Exopolymer Particles in Deep Oceans: Synthesis and Future Challenges

Polysaccharide-Bacteria Interactions From the Lens of Evolutionary Ecology

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