No / The Raman spectroscopic biosignatures of halotrophic cyanobacterial extremophiles from sabkha evaporitic saltpans are reported for the first time and ideas about the possible survival strategies in operation have been forthcoming. The biochemicals produced by the cyanobacteria which colonise the interfaces between large plates of clear selenitic gypsum, halite, and dolomitized calcium carbonates in the centre of the salt pans are identifiably different from those which are produced by benthic cyanobacterial mats colonising the surface of the salt pan edges in the intertidal zone. The prediction that similar geological formations would have been present on early Mars and which could now be underlying the highly peroxidised regolith on the surface of the planet has been confirmed by recent satellite observations from Mars orbit and by localised traverses by robotic surface rovers. The successful adoption of miniaturised Raman spectroscopic instrumentation as part of a scientific package for detection of extant life or biomolecular traces of extinct life on proposed future Mars missions will depend critically on interpretation of data from terrestrial Mars analogues such as sabkhas, of which the current study is an example.

No / This study is primarily focused on proving the potential of miniaturized Raman systems to detect any biomolecular and mineral signal in natural geobiological samples that are relevant for future application of the technique within astrobiologically aimed missions on Mars. A series of evaporites of varying composition and origin from two extremely dry deserts were studied, namely Atacama and Mojave. The samples represent both dry evaporitic deposits and recent evaporitic efflorescences from hypersaline brines. The samples comprise halite and different types of sulfates and carbonates. The samples were analysed in two different ways: (i) directly as untreated rocks and (ii) as homogenized powders. Two excitation wavelengths of miniaturized Raman spectrometers were compared: 532 and 785 nm. The potential to detect carotenoids as biomarkers on Mars compared with the potential detection of carbonaceous matter using miniaturized instrumentation is discussed.

Cyanobacteria are a naturally occurring component of reservoir aquatic ecosystems. Given that some species possess the ability to control their depth within the water column, they have a competitive advantage over other species of photosynthetic organisms. This leads to the potential for cyanobacteria blooms, and because of taste and odor problems, as well as possible toxin production associated with certain species of cyanobacteria, these organisms can cause major problems in drinking water production. The Western Virginia Water Authority installed a solar-powered circulator in Falling Creek Reservoir, located in Bedford County, Virginia, in an attempt to limit the growth of these organisms through limiting light exposure by circulating them deeper within the reservoir. Experiments were performed during the summer of 2008 to quantify the effect of the circulator on the reservoir. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, water velocity, and photosynthetic yield were monitored before and during operation of the unit. The overall effect of the mixer was limited to the first 10 m immediately adjacent to the unit during the afternoon. The effect was stronger during the morning when the difference in density between the intake water and the surface of the reservoir was smaller, allowing the water to travel up to 80 m away from the unit. Although the circulator was only intended to mix and possibly deepen the epilimnion, the entire reservoir became mixed about two weeks after the circulator was put into operation. The reservoir is quite shallow, leading to a weak stratification that is easily disrupted by the operation of the circulator. / Master of Science

No description available.

The aim of the study was to investigate the morphology, ecology and phylogeny of cyanobacteria belonging to genera Nostoc and Desmonostoc in Lithuania. The detailed research of freshwater and terrestrial Nostoc and Desmonostoc species provided new data on taxonomy, biology and ecology of these cyanobacteria and the overall diversity of algae in Lithuania. 20 Nostoc species and two intraspecific taxa, and 18 taxa to the Nostoc genus level were identified. Twelve Nostoc species and intraspecific taxa, Desmonostoc genus including two taxa were recorded for the first time in Lithuania. A check list was compiled of all identified species with original morphological and ecological data as well as pictures. An applied research by different types of Nostoc and Desmonostoc species samples was valuable in morphological analysis – suitability for identification and stability of diagnostic morphological features in species was identified. The highest diversity of Nostoc and Desmonostoc species were recorded in lentic ecosystems and 14 species were found in terrestrial habitats. A wide genetic and morphological diversity of Nostoc and Desmonostoc species was identified while performing fingerprint TGGE and morphological analyses of cyanobacterial natural populations. The morphological and phylogenetic analyses of Nostoc and Desmonostoc strains showed morphological and phylogenetic heterogenity of Nostoc species and differences of the same types between Desmonostoc and Nostoc species. / Darbo tikslas – atlikti Lietuvos Nostoc ir Desmonostoc genčių melsvabakterių morfologijos, ekologijos ir filogenijos tyrimus. Pirmą kartą Lietuvoje atlikti išsamūs gėlųjų vandenų ir sausumos Nostoc ir Desmonostoc genčių melsvabakterių tyrimai papildo žinias apie dumblių rūšių įvairovę Lietuvoje bei suteikia naujos informacijos apie šių melsvabakterių taksonomiją, biologiją ir ekologiją. Identifikuota 22 Nostoc genties rūšys ir vidurūšiniai taksonai, 18 Nostoc taksonų identifikuota iki genties rango. Pirmą kartą Lietuvoje identifikuota 12 Nostoc genties rūšių ir vidurūšinių taksonų, dvi Desmonostoc genties rūšys. Rūšių konspekte pateikiami originalūs rūšių aprašymai su nuotraukomis ir ekologijos duomenys. Nostoc ir Desmonostoc genčių rūšių morfologinėje analizėje taikytas skirtingo tipo pavyzdžių tyrimas pasitvirtino – įvertintas rūšių diagnostinių morfologinių požymių stabilumas ir identifikacinis tinkamumas. Didžiausia Nostoc ir Desmonostoc genčių rūšių įvairovė identifikuota lentinėse ekosistemose, o sausumos buveinėse konstatuota 14 rūšių. Melsvabakterių gamtinių populiacijų molekulinių žymenų TGGE ir morfologinės analizių metu nustatyta gana didelė Nostoc ir Desmonostoc genčių rūšių genetinė ir morfologinė įvairovė. Nostoc ir Desmonostoc genčių padermių morfologinė ir filogenetinė analizės atskleidė Nostoc genties rūšių morfologinį ir filogenetinį heterogeniškumą bei Desmonostoc ir Nostoc genčių rūšių tokių tipų tarpusavio skirtumus.

Les plans d’eau, du «bas delta» du fleuve Sénégal sont de plus en plus confrontés aux problèmes d’efflorescences à cyanobactéries qui menacent la ressource en eau des États riverains. Une étude, couplant approches in situ et expérimentales, a été menée pour analyser les principaux facteurs biologiques qui interviennent dans l’apparition et le contrôle de ces phénomènes. L’étude in situ a permis d’analyser la distribution spatio-temporelle du phyto et du zooplancton et les relations entre ces communautés dans 13 sites représentatifs à différentes saisons. L’importance croissante, des cyanobactéries et notamment d’espèces à potentiel toxique comme Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Anabaena solitaria, Anabaena flos-aquae et Microcystis aeruginosa a été mise en évidence. Certains aspects des communautés zooplanctoniques (avantage des cyclopoïdes sur les calanoïdes, présence-abondance d’espèces indicatrices, faibles biomasses par rapport au phytoplancton) indiquent une tendance à l’eutrophisation des plans d’eau. Une forte association entre communautés phyto et zooplanctoniques a été mise en évidence par des analyses multivariables. Une étude expérimentale sur le broutage a montré que les cyanobactéries filamenteuses sont consommées et/ou fractionnées avec une efficacité variable selon les brouteurs et que le zooplancton est un facteur important de contrôle descendant des cyanobactéries filamenteuses (jusqu’à 50% du stock par jour). Des expériences de toxicité ont clairement mis en évidence des effets négatifs des cyanobactéries sur la survie et la croissance du zooplancton, mais avec une sensibilité différente des espèces aux toxines. Des dégradations musculaires et intestinales ainsi que des modifications de l’activité de l’acétylcholinestérase ont été mises en évidence chez des copépodes mais plusieurs éléments suggèrent que les effets ne seraient pas liés aux cyanotoxines classiques, mais plutôt liés à la présence d’autres métabolites émis soit par les cyanobactéries, soit par la flore associée puisque les cultures utilisées n’étaient pas axéniques. / The lower delta of the Senegal river faced with problems linked to cyanobacterial bloom which threaten the water resource of The riverine countries. A study, coupling in situ and experimental approaches, was carried out to analyze the biologicalfactors which intervene in the appearance and the control of these phenomena. The in situ study made analyzed the space time distribution of the phyto- and the zooplankton communities and their relationships in 13 representative sites at various seasons. The increasing importance, of the cyanobacteria and in particular of species with toxic potential like Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Anabaena solitaria, Anabaena flos-aquae and Microcystis aeruginosa was highlighted.Certain aspects of the zooplanktonic communities (importance of cyclopoïds compared to calanoïds, presence-abundance ofindicating species, low zooplankton biomasse compared to the phytoplankton) indicate a trend towards eutrophication. Astrong association between phyto- and zooplankton communities was highlighted by multivariable analyzes. Grazing experiments showed that the filamentous cyanobacteria are consumed and/or split with a variable efficiency according to the grazers and that the zooplankton exert a strong top-down control of the filamentous cyanobacteria (up to 50% of stock perday). Toxicity experiments clearly highlighted negative effects of the cyanobacteries on zooplankton survival and growth, butwith a variable sensitivity according to the species. Ultrastructural deformations and muscular and intestinal degradations aswell as modifications of the acétylcholinestérase activity were highlighted for copepods, but several elements suggest thatthe effects would not be related to the traditional cyanotoxins, but rather related to the presence of other metabolites emittedeither by the cyanobacteria, or by the associated flora since the cultures used were not axenic.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19778号 / 農博第2174号 / 新制||農||1041(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N4994(農学部図書室) / 32814 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 左子 芳彦, 教授 澤山 茂樹, 准教授 吉田 天士 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Biotechnology, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / Cyanobacteria contain phycocyanin a light harvesting pigment found to have numerous biotechnological applications, such as: a natural colorant in food and cosmetics, fluorescent tags employed in clinical and immunological research and also in therapeutic processes. Successful phycocyanin production depends on growth characteristics, ability to accumulate high quantities of the pigment, and an effective downstream process. Therefore, the aim of this research was to optimize the extraction method and production by determining the optimal cultivation conditions for phycocyanin producing cyanobacterium. This cyanobacterium was isolated from a hypersaline water body in Kwa-Zulu Natal, and subsequently purified using traditional streak and spread plate techniques. Different cell disruption techniques and a range of buffers were evaluated for the extraction of phycocyanin. The buffer concentrations and pH was subsequently optimized. Results showed that maximum phycocyanin was extracted when cells were suspended in 50mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH-7.5) supplemented with 10 % lysozyme and then disrupted using the freeze–thaw method at -20 & 4°C. The UV-Vis absorption spectral scan of the crude extracted pigments showed a peak at 620 nm. This corresponds to phycocyanin production. Unwanted proteins were removed using a 25and 50% saturated ammonium sulphate precipitation, followed by dialysis. SDS-PAGE showed two subunits with molecular masses of 19 and 20 kDa. These masses corresponded to phycocyanin α and β subunits. Furthermore, a food grade purity ratio (A615/A280) of 1.20 was achieved. The effects of various abiotic factors (temperature, light and pH) on growth and phycocyanin production of the Cyanothece sp. was investigated. Temperature ranging from 20-45°C and pH (5-10) was evaluated for 2 weeks. Cultures were then subjected to four photoperiods (24:0, 18:06 12:12 and 8:16 h light: dark) three light intensities (25, 75 and 125 µmol photons per m2 per –s) at varying wavelengths i.e. blue, red and green and Grolux light. Ideal conditions were observed at 35°C, 125 µmol photons.m2.s-1 of Grolux light for a 16:8 light and dark photoperiod. It was observed that the highest biomass and phycocyanin production was found to be at 35°C, temperatures below or above resulted in a decrease in both growth and pigment synthesis. Phycocyanin concentration changed in response to light quality and intensity. A significantly higher (p<0.05) phycocyanin yield was found when the culture was exposed to 125 µmol photons.m2.s-1 of Grolux light compared with the other three light conditions. Using Design of experiments, a series of fractional factorial experiments were carried out to optimize media components for pigment production. The final optimized growth medium was determined from a central composite design using response surface plots together with a mathematical point-prediction tool and consisted of 2g/L NaNO3, 0.06g/L K2HPO4, 0.12 g/L MgSO4.7H2O, 0.033 g/L CaCl2.2H2O, 100g/L NaCl, 12mL minor nutrients and 0.5 trace metal. A 72 % increase in phycocyanin was observed. This research revealed that this particular Cyanothece sp. shows great potential as a reliable source of phycocyanin.

With crude oil demand rising and supplies being depleted, alternative energy, specifically biofuels, are of intense scientific interest. Current plant crop based biofuels suffer from several problems, most importantly the use of land needed for food. Cyanobacteria offer a solution to this problem as they do not compete with land for food and produce hydrocarbons that can be used as biofuels. Upon examination of metabolic pathways competing with hydrocarbon synthesis, it appeared that cyanobacteria lacked the major fatty acid degradative metabolic pathway β-oxidation, generally thought to be a universally occurring pathway. Lack of this pathway in cyanobacteria was confirmed by employing a range of analytical techniques. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that potential enzymes with β-oxidation activity were involved in other metabolic pathways. A sensitive assay was set up to detect acyl- CoAs, the substrates of β-oxidation, using liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. None could be detected in cyanobacteria. No enzymatic activity from the rate-limiting acyl-CoA dehydrogenase/oxidase could be detected in cyanobacterial extracts. It was found that radiolabeled fatty acids fed to cyanobacteria were utilised for lipid membranes as opposed to being converted to CO2 by respiration or into other compounds by the TCA cycle. An element of the β-oxidation pathway, E. coli acyl-CoA synthetase was ectopically expressed in a strain of cyanobacteria and implications of the introduction of acyl-CoA synthesis were assessed. Finally, the regulation of the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway was investigated. It was determined that under conditions of excess fatty acid, the transcription of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and enoyl-ACP reductase was repressed and acyl-ACP synthetase involved in fatty acid recycling was induced. These results were discussed in relation to fatty acid oxidation and hydrocarbon biosynthesis in other organisms.

Västervik Municipality has had problems with odorous compounds in its primary water source, Lake Hjorten. Geosmin and cyanobacterial blooms have been detected in the lake. This report aims to experimentally investigate the cyanobacterial populations in the primary and secondary freshwater lakes depending on the climate change factor temperature. An understanding of number of cells is the foundation to understand the potential harmful chemical levels. This provides an opportunity to predict the water quality in the lakes in the future due to climate change. The results show that cyanobacteria did not benefit from an increase in temperature from 10°C to 18°C solely during autumn. However, the diatom Aulacoseira did increase in numbers although it is not known to produce odorous compounds. Consequently a warmer Swedish autumn would not cause worse drinking water quality in absence of other contributing factors according to this study.