<p>Discoveries in recent years have disclosed the importance of marine cyano-bacteria in the context of primary production and global nitrogen cycling. It is hypothesized here that microbial mats in tropical coastal habitats harbour a rich diversity of previously uncharacterized cyanobacteria and that benthic marine nitrogen fixation in coastal zones is substantial.</p><p>A polyphasic approach was used to investigate cyanobacterial diversity in three tropical benthic marine habitats of different characters; an intertidal sand flat and a mangrove forest floor in the Indian Ocean, and a beach rock in the Pacific Ocean. In addition, nitrogenase activity was measured over diel cycles at all sites. The results revealed high cyanobacterial diversity, both morphologically and genetically. Substantial nitrogenase activity was observed, with highest rates at daytime where heterocystous species were present. However, the three habitats were dominated by non-heterocystous and unicellular genera such as <i>Microcoleus</i>, <i>Lyngbya</i>, <i>Cyanothece</i> and a large group of thin filamentous species, identified as members of the Pseudanabaenaceae family. In these consortia nocturnal nitrogenase activities were highest and <i>nifH</i> sequencing also revealed presence of non-cyanobacterial potential diazotrophs. A conclusive phylogenetic analysis of partial nifH sequences from the three sites and sequences from geographi-cally distant microbial mats revealed new clusters of benthic potentially ni-trogen-fixing cyanobacteria. Further, the non-heterocystous cyanobacterium <i>Lyngbya majuscula</i> was subjected to a physiological characterization to gain insights into regulatory aspects of its nitrogen fixation. The data demon-strated that nitrogenase activity is restricted to darkness, which called upon a re-evaluation of its diazotrophic behaviour.</p>

Discoveries in recent years have disclosed the importance of marine cyano-bacteria in the context of primary production and global nitrogen cycling. It is hypothesized here that microbial mats in tropical coastal habitats harbour a rich diversity of previously uncharacterized cyanobacteria and that benthic marine nitrogen fixation in coastal zones is substantial. A polyphasic approach was used to investigate cyanobacterial diversity in three tropical benthic marine habitats of different characters; an intertidal sand flat and a mangrove forest floor in the Indian Ocean, and a beach rock in the Pacific Ocean. In addition, nitrogenase activity was measured over diel cycles at all sites. The results revealed high cyanobacterial diversity, both morphologically and genetically. Substantial nitrogenase activity was observed, with highest rates at daytime where heterocystous species were present. However, the three habitats were dominated by non-heterocystous and unicellular genera such as Microcoleus, Lyngbya, Cyanothece and a large group of thin filamentous species, identified as members of the Pseudanabaenaceae family. In these consortia nocturnal nitrogenase activities were highest and nifH sequencing also revealed presence of non-cyanobacterial potential diazotrophs. A conclusive phylogenetic analysis of partial nifH sequences from the three sites and sequences from geographi-cally distant microbial mats revealed new clusters of benthic potentially ni-trogen-fixing cyanobacteria. Further, the non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula was subjected to a physiological characterization to gain insights into regulatory aspects of its nitrogen fixation. The data demon-strated that nitrogenase activity is restricted to darkness, which called upon a re-evaluation of its diazotrophic behaviour.

Small bacterial genomes are believed to be evolutionarily derived from larger genomes through massive loss of genes and are usually associated with symbiotic or pathogenic lifestyles. It is therefore intriguing that a similar phenomenon of genome reduction has been reported within a group of free-living phototrophic marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus. Here I have investigated the roles of natural selection and mutation rate in the process of Prochlorococcus genome size reduction. Using a data set of complete cyanobacterial genomes including 12 Prochlorococcus and a sister group of 5 marine Synechococcus, I first reconstructed the steps leading to Prochlorococcus genome reduction in a phylogenetic context. The result reveals that small genome sizes within Prochlorococcus were largely determined by massive gene loss shortly after the split of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus (a process we refer to as early genome reduction). A maximum likelihood approach was then used to estimate changes in both selection effect and mutation rate in the evolutionary history of Prochlorococcus. I also examined the effect of selection and functional importance of a subset of ancestor-derived genes those are lost in Prochlorococcus but are still retained in the genomes of its sister Synechococcus group. It appears that purifying selection was strongest when a large number of small effect genes were deleted from nearly all functional categories. And during this period, mutation rate also accelerated. Based on these results, I propose that shortly after Prochlorococcus diverged from its common ancestor with marine Synechococcus, its population size increased quickly and thus the efficacy of selection became very high. Due to limited nutrients and relatively constant environment, selection favored a streamlined genome for maximum economies in material and energy, causing subsequent reduction in genome size and possibly also contributing to the observed higher mutation rate.

Orientador: Ronaldo Aloise Pilli / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T12:56:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pirovani_RodrigoVezula_D.pdf: 8130990 bytes, checksum: 09b4b459a43a3e2d8f59756e8bcc77bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: No capitulo um, apresentamos o planejamento e a síntese de nucleases artificiais baseadas na estrutura da (+/-)-tripargina (19), que poderia intercalar no ADN e apresenta um grupo guanidínico que pode se ligar a grupos fosfatos. Esta foi preparada usando uma estratégia desenvolvida no nosso laboratório em escala multigramas. Dois novos análogos contendo um resíduo guanidínico adicional foram preparados, visto que estes podem aumentar a atividade catalítica desses compostos. O derivado 1,2-bisguanilado 20 foi preparado em 8 etapas com 37% de rendimento global. O análogo 1,9-bisguanilado 21 foi sintetizado com 13% de rendimento para 10 etapas. Também foram preparados três análogos 22-24 contendo uma cadeia hidroxílica lateral em bons rendimentos totais (55, 52 e 31%, respectivamente) a partir do ácido 4-aminoburitírico, bem como três intermediários avançados 70d-72d com duas cadeias guanidínicas e uma cadeia hidroxílica. Estes últimos foram preparados em 12 etapas a partir da triptamina em rendimentos globais variando entre 9-14%. Apesar dos esforços, não encontramos uma condição em que observássemos a atividade catalítica para a (+/-)-tripargina (19) e os derivados bisguanilados 20 e 21, mesmo tendo sido observado que se tenha visto por titulação usando-se RMN-31P uma interação supramolecular entre 19 e o p-nitrofenilfosfato de sódio, com predominância do complexo 1:1 em solução. No capítulo dois, descrevemos a síntese convergente da lingbiabelina M (95) com a finalidade de elucidar sua estrutura tridimensional. Pela estratégia inicial, esta foi dividida em três fragmentos principais: dois deles continham anéis tiazólicos 101 e 106 e foram preparados usando-se uma química clássica para a formação desses heterociclos. A parte policetídica foi sintetizada aplicando-se a metodologia de Masamune para se obter o ácido 107 em 19% de rendimento para 6 etapas. Para finalizar a síntese, os fragmentos 101, 106 e 107 foram acoplados em 49% de rendimento para 6 etapas. Pode-se, assim, confirmar que o produto natural 95 apresenta a esterioquímica (2S, 3S, 14R, 20S) proposta por Gerwick e colaboradores quando de seu isolamento / Abstract: In chapter one, the design and synthesis of artificial nucleases based on the structure of (+/-)-trypargine (19) are introduced. These compounds which contain a guanidine group known to be involved in molecular recognition in biological systems could present the propensity to insert into DNA. Two new analogues containing an additional guanidinic group were prepared, since these may enhance the catalytic activity of these compounds. 1,2-Bisguanylated compound 20 was prepared in 8 steps in 37% overall yield. The analogous 1,9-bisguanylated 21 was synthesized in 13% global yield over 10 steps. Three more analogs 22-24 containing a hydroxylic side chain were prepared in good overall yields (55, 52 and 31%, respectively) from 4-aminoburitiric acid. The synthesis of three advanced intermediates 70d-72d with two guanidinic groups and one hydroxylic chain in 13 steps from tryptamine (31) in overall yields ranging from 9-14% is also disclosed. Despite all efforts, we were not able to find a condition to observe the catalytic activity for (+/-)-trypargine (19) and bisguanylated derivatives 20 and 21, although some supramolecular interaction was observed by 31P-NMR titration between 19 and the p-nitrophenylphosphate sodium salt, predominantly a 1:1 complex in solution. In chapter two, we have described the convergent synthesis of lyngbyabellin M (95) in order to elucidate its stereochemical nature. By retrosynthetic analysis, our target was divided into three main portions: two of them contained thiazole rings 101 and 106, which were prepared using traditional hetericyclic chemistry. The polyketide core was synthesized through the Masamune anti-aldol reaction, giving acid 107 in 19% overall yield over 6 steps. To complete the synthesis, the fragments 101, 106 and 107 were coupled in 49% yield over 6 steps. Thus, we confirmed that the natural product 95 has the stereochemistry (2S, 3S, 14R, 20S) proposed by Gerwick et al, as described in their work of isolation / Doutorado / Quimica Organica / Doutor em Ciências

1. Microbial ecology According to Caumette et al. (2015) the term ecology is derived from the Greek words “oikos” (the house and its operation) and “logos” (the word, knowledge or discourse) and can, therefore, be defined as the scientific field engaged in the “knowledge of the laws governing the house”. This, in extension, results in the simple conclusion that microbial ecology represents the study of the relationship between microorganisms, their co-occurring biota and the prevailing environmental conditions (Caumette et al. 2015). The term microbial ecology has been in use since the early 1960s (Caumette et al. 2015) and microbial ecologists have made astonishing discoveries since. Microbial life at extremes such as in the hydrothermal vents (see Dubilier et al. 2008 and references therein) or the abundance of picophytoplankton (Waterbury et al. 1979; Chisholm et al. 1988) in the deep and surface waters of the oceans, respectively, are only a few of many highlights. Nevertheless, a microbial ecologist who, after leaving the field early in their career, now intends to return would hardly recognise again their former scientific field. The main reason for this hypothesis is to be found in the advances made to the methodologies employed in the field. Most of these were developed for biomedical research and were subsequently hijacked, sometimes followed by minor modifications, by microbial ecologists. The Author presents in this thesis scientific findings which, although spanning only a fraction of the era of research into microbial ecology, have been obtained using various modern tools of the trade. These studies were undertaken by the Author during his employment as postdoctoral scientist at Warwick University (UK), as member of staff at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK) and as scientist at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Although the scientific issues and the environmental habitats investigated by the Author changed due to funding constraints or due to change of work place (i.e. from the marine to the mining environment) the research shared, by and large, a common aim: to further the existing understanding of microbial communities. The methodological approach chosen to achieve this aim employed both isolation followed by the characterisation of microorganisms and culture independent techniques. Both of these strategies utilised again a variety of methods, but techniques in molecular biology represent a common theme. In particular, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) formed the work horse for much of the research since it has been routinely used for the amplification of a marker gene for strain identification or analysis of the microbial diversity. To achieve this, the amplicons were either directly sequenced by the Sanger approach or analysed via the application of genetic fingerprint techniques or through Sanger sequencing of individual amplicons cloned into a heterologous host. However, the Author did not remain at idle while with these ‘classical’ approaches for the analysis of microbial communities, but utilised the advances made in the development of nucleotide sequence analysis. In particular, the highly parallelised sequencing techniques (e.g. 454 pyrosequencing, Illumina sequencing) offered the chance to obtain both high genetic resolution of the microbial diversity present in a sample and identification of many individuals through sequence comparison with appropriate sequence repositories. Moreover, these next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques also provided a cost-effective opportunity to extent the characterisation of microbial strains to non-clonal cultures and to even complex microbial assemblages (metagenomics). The work involving the high throughput sequencing techniques has been undertaken in collaboration with Dr Jack Gilbert (PML, lateron at Argonne National Laboratory, USA) and, since at Freiberg, with Dr Anja Poehlein (Goettingen University). These colleagues are thanked for their support with sequence data handling and analyses.