Phosphorus deficiency induced by aluminum in a marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Crocosphaera watsonii WH0003. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Jiaxing; Zhou, Linbin; Ke, Zhixin; Li, Gang; Tan, Yehui
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 246(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Aluminum -- Crocosphaera watsonii -- Phosphorus deficiency -- Phosphorus-related genes; Al aluminum -- RT-qPCR quantitative reverse transcription PCR -- pstS the high-affinity phosphate binding protein gene -- phoU phosphate transport system regulator gene -- phoH phosphate starvation-inducible protein gene -- ppK polyphosphate kinase gene -- ppX exopolyphosphatase gene -- nifH nitrogen-fixing gene -- Fv/Fm photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II -- PUB phycourobilin -- PEB phycoerythrobilin -- PC phycocyanin -- PE phycobiliprotein phycoerythrin -- RC/CSO the density of the active photosynthetic reaction centers -- ψo Probability that a trapped exciton moves an electron into the electron transport chain beyond QA (at t = 0) -- ϕEO Quantum yield for electron transport (at t = 0) -- ETO/RC Electron transport flux per reaction center (at t = 0) -- ABS/RC the effective antenna size per reaction center -- DIO/RC the dissipated energy flux per reaction center -- PIABS Performance index on absorption basis -- PICS Performance index on cross-section basis (at t = 0) -- ϕPO maximum quantum yield for primary photochemistry -- EPS polysaccharides; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125641
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: Large amounts of aluminum (Al) enter the ocean through atmospheric dust deposition and river runoffs. However, few studies have reported the effects of Al on marine phytoplankton, especially nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. By using the isotope tracer method and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), we examined the physiological effect of Al (0.2, 2 and 20 μM) on the unicellular marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Crocosphaera watsonii in Aquil* medium. We show that Al has an inhibitory physiological effect on C. watsonii, including changes in growth rate, nitrogen fixation rate, carbon fixation rate, cell size, fast rise chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics, cellular photosynthetic pigment and C/N/P content, the same as that of the phosphorus deficient treatment. The ratio of cellular elements C:N:P showed that phosphorus was deficient in the cell of C. watsonii after Al treatment (2 and 20 μM). In addition, Al stimulated the expression of phosphorus-related genes pstS, phoH, phoU, ppK and ppX in C. watsonii . All these results suggest that Al-treated C. watsonii is phosphorus-limited, and that the phosphorus deficiency induced by Al may be one mechanism behind aluminum's toxicity. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Al has an inhibitory physiological effect on C. watsonii. Al stimulated the expression of phosphorus metabolism related genes of C. watsonii. Phosphorus deficiency induced by Al may be one mechanism behind the Al toxicity.