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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2008, p. 23-31, Vol. 74, No. 1
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01007-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Ni Uptake and Limitation in Marine Synechococcus Strains{triangledown}

Christopher L. Dupont,1 Katherine Barbeau,2 and Brian Palenik3*

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093,1 Geosciences Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093,2 Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 920933

Received 4 May 2007/ Accepted 11 October 2007

Ni accumulation and utilization were studied in two strains of marine Synechococcus, isolated from both coastal (CC9311; clade I) and open-ocean (WH8102; clade III) environments, for which complete genome sequences are available. Both strains have genes encoding an Ni-containing urease and when grown on urea without Ni become Ni-N colimited. The Ni requirements of these strains also depend upon the genomic complement of genes encoding superoxide dismutase (SOD). WH8102, with a gene encoding only an Ni-SOD, has a novel obligate requirement for Ni, regardless of the N source. Reduced SOD activity in Ni-depleted cultures of WH8102 supports the link of this strain's Ni requirement to Ni-SOD. The genome of CC9311 contains a gene for a Cu/Zn-SOD in addition to a predicted pair of Ni-SODs, yet this strain cannot grow without Ni on NO3– and can grow only slowly on NH4+ without Ni, implying that the Cu/Zn-SOD cannot completely replace Ni-SOD in marine cyanobacteria. CC9311 does have a greater tolerance for Ni starvation. Both strains increase their Ni uptake capabilities and actively bioconcentrate Ni in response to decreasing extracellular and intracellular Ni. The changes in Ni uptake rates were more pronounced in WH8102 than in CC9311 and for growth on urea or nitrate than for growth on ammonia. These results, combined with an analysis of fully sequenced marine cyanobacterial genomes, suggest that the growth of many marine Synechococcus and all Prochlorococcus strains is dependent upon Ni.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Mail Code 0202, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093. Phone: (858) 534-7505. Fax: (858) 534-7313. E-mail: bpalenik{at}ucsd.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 19 October 2007.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2008, p. 23-31, Vol. 74, No. 1
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01007-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Stuart, R. K., Dupont, C. L., Johnson, D. A., Paulsen, I. T., Palenik, B. (2009). Coastal Strains of Marine Synechococcus Species Exhibit Increased Tolerance to Copper Shock and a Distinctive Transcriptional Response Relative to Those of Open-Ocean Strains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 5047-5057 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Scanlan, D. J., Ostrowski, M., Mazard, S., Dufresne, A., Garczarek, L., Hess, W. R., Post, A. F., Hagemann, M., Paulsen, I., Partensky, F. (2009). Ecological Genomics of Marine Picocyanobacteria. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73: 249-299 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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