Copper Metabolism in Marine Synechococcus

海洋聚球藻中的铜代谢

• 批准号: 0817775
• 负责人: Brian Palenik
• 金额: $ 48万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-10-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0817775&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Copper; Metabolism; Marine; Synechococcus; Copper; Metabolism; Marine; Synechococcus

Trace metal sample handling and analysis have led to the discovery that tiny (nanomolar) levels of metals such as iron are having profound influences on the diversity, abundance, and carbon fixation of primary producers in the oceans. One of these important primary producers, marine cyanobacteria, have similarly been shown to be affected, positively and negatively, by copper (natural and anthropogenic) levels and may also be influenced by cobalt and nickel levels. At the same time, cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton are changing the distributions of metals and their reactivity through uptake, which causes measurable depletion of metals in surface waters, and through the extra-cellular production of metal binding ligands. Because of the importance of copper in aquatic environments, the PIs will characterize copper metabolism in marine cyanobacteria using model Synechococcus strains from oligotrophic environments and from coastal environments that have very different metal physiologies revealed by the whole genome sequencing projects. They will characterize how the strains respond to different copper levels using whole genome microarrays that probe the global response of the cell and will combine these studies with state of the art characterization of intracellular metal levels and other measures of cellular physiology and photosynthetic capacity. Molecular genetics studies of diverse copper associated genes will be undertaken to determine their function in the cell. Preliminary results have found a potential candidate for an intracellular copper binding protein that is conserved in all marine cyanobacteria. At the same time, preliminary results have found that coastal cyanobacteria have greater resistance to copper than open ocean species and this might be due to a novel copper binding or efflux system. The PIs will illustrate the importance of copper in aquatic environments by developing hands-on lab components that will communicate some basic concepts around metal nutrition/pollution in the marine environment to middle school students. This will be undertaken in collaboration with Aquatic Adventures, who provide educational programs that connect underserved youth to science.Broader Impacts This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us understand the distribution and diversity of these organisms in relation to global primary productivity. They should lead to more robust biomarkers for metal stress and pollution in coastal environments. The PIs will expand on a previous outreach activity like their museum exhibit on marine genomics at the Birch Aquarium, La Jolla CA, by developing hands-on lab components that will communicate some basic concepts around metal nutrition/pollution in the marine environment to middle school students. This will be undertaken in collaboration with Aquatic Adventures, who provide educational programs that connect underserved youth to science, inspire environmental action, and increase exposure to marine habitats. In addition an undergraduate and graduate student in the interdisciplinary field of the metal physiology of microbes will be trained.

痕量金属样品处理和分析导致发现，微小（纳摩尔）金属（例如铁）水平对海洋中主要生产者的多样性，丰度和碳固定产生了深远的影响。这些重要的主要生产者之一，海洋蓝细菌，同样被铜（天然和人为）水平受到积极和负面影响，并且也可能受到钴和镍水平的影响。同时，蓝细菌和其他浮游植物正在通过摄取改变金属及其反应性的分布，这会导致地表水中金属的可测量耗竭，并通过金属结合配体的细胞外产生。由于铜在水生环境中的重要性，PIS将使用来自寡嗜性环境的模型synechococcus菌株和来自具有非常不同的金属生理生理学的模型，在海洋蓝细菌中表征铜的代谢。他们将使用整个基因组微阵列来表征菌株如何对不同的铜水平响应，从而探测细胞的全球反应，并将这些研究与细胞内金属水平的最先进的表征以及其他细胞生理学和光合作用能力的措施相结合。将对各种铜相关基因进行分子遗传学研究，以确定其在细胞中的功能。初步结果发现了在所有海洋蓝细菌中保守的细胞内铜结合蛋白的潜在候选者。同时，初步结果发现，沿海蓝细菌对铜的耐药性比开阔的海洋物种更大，这可能是由于新型的铜结合或外排系统所致。 PI将通过开发动手实验室组件来说明铜在水生环境中的重要性，这些实验室组件将传达有关海洋环境中金属营养/污染的一些基本概念，并向中学生传达。这将与水生冒险合作进行，他们提供教育计划，将不足的青年与科学联系起来。Boarder对这项研究的影响将揭示海洋蓝细菌适应沿海和少亲子环境中金属水平的一些主要机制。因此，这些结果将有助于我们了解与全球主要生产力有关的这些生物的分布和多样性。它们应导致在沿海环境中的金属应力和污染中更强大的生物标志物。 PIS将通过开发动手实验室组件，例如在La Jolla CA的Birch Aquarium上进行的博物馆展览，例如他们的博物馆展览，这些展览会在海洋环境中向中学生传达有关金属营养/污染的一些基本概念。这将与水上冒险合作进行，他们提供教育计划，这些计划将不足的青年与科学联系起来，激发环境行动并增加对海洋栖息地的接触。此外，将培训微生物金属生理学的跨学科领域的本科生和研究生。