Bioassay and Distribution of Thiamine in the Sea1

Abstract

A mcarine yeast, Cryptococcus nlbidus (Saito) Skinner, has been used for the bioassay of thiamine in seawater and is sensitive in the range of 10 to 300 pg/ml thiamine. The distribution of thiamine has been determined in the North Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Alaska. Thiamine concentrations in surface waters were found to range from undetectable lcvcls up to 490 ng/liter and were generally high in coastal regions and low in open waters. The concentrations generally dccrcased with depth down to 50 to 75 m, below which the values were generally low or undetectable.Thiamine followed the temperature distribution, with high concentrations in the thermally stratified layer above the thermocline. Jn one arca, thcrc were high concentrations during April and September, but in November the concentrations decrcas~d markedly.

The effect of vitamin B12 on phytoplankton growth and community structure in the Gulf of Alaska

“…The same study of the Strait of Georgia also found the highest B 12 concentrations in off-shore waters, with decreasing concentrations toward the coast (Cattell 1973). Natarajan and Dugdale (1966) observed a similar spatial gradient for vitamin B 1 in the Gulf of Alaska; lower concentrations in the coastal regions and highest in offshore, HNLC regions. Genomic data (Rocap et al 2003;Rodionov et al 2003;Vitreschak et al 2003) and recent laboratory studies (Croft et al 2005;Bonnet et al 2010) both indicate that many prokaryotes (phototrophs and heterotrophs) could be significant sources of B 12 to the oceans.…”

“…Vitamin B 12 concentrations in the Gulf of Alaska, previously measured via the bioassay technique, were found to be low (, 0.3 pmol L 21 ; Carlucci and Silbernagel 1966;Natarajan and Dugdale 1966). Experimental enrichment of seawater with vitamin B 12 and Fe in other high-latitude, HNLC regions has been shown to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton (Panzeca et al 2006;Bertrand et al 2007).…”

Discovery of a SAR11 growth requirement for thiamin’s pyrimidine precursor and its distribution in the Sargasso Sea

“…The physiological requirement for thiamin led to the hypothesis that environmental concentrations of thiamin may exert control over some phytoplankton populations (Natarajan, 1968;Panzeca, et al, 2006). Environmental distributions of thiamin, as determined by bioassay, were variable, and in some cases, coupled to productivity (Natarajan and Dugdale, 1966;Natarajan, 1968Natarajan, , 1970. Studies of thiamin auxotrophy in the laboratory showed that thiamin moieties or degradation products were able to satisfy the thiamin requirement of some microalgae (Droop, 1958;Lewin, 1962).…”

Thiamine Limited Steady State Growth of the Yeast Cryptococcus albidus

“…Concentrations of thiamine in the oceans are in the range of 10-l~ to I O -~M (Natarajan & Dugdale, 1966;Carlucci & Silbernagel, 1967). In some regions the concentration ranged below their limits of detection of about 1 0 -l~~.…”

“…Vitamins are present in most natural, terrestrial and marine systems, and their distribution in sea water has been measured (Holm-Hansen, Strickland & Williams, 1966;Neujahr, 1966;Natarajan & Dugdale, 1966). One result of the rather ubiquitous distribution of vitamins in measurable quantities is that most species of micro-organisms absorb part of their vitamin-coenzyme complement from the surroundings and consequently develop vitamin requirements.…”