Effects of heavy metals on Cyanothece sp CCY 0110 growth, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production, ultrastructure and protein profiles

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015

Authors

Rita Mota (Author) Other; Sara B Pereira (Author) Other; Marianna Meazzini (Author) Other; Rui Fernandes (Author) Other; Arlete Santos (Author) FCUP; Caroline A Evans (Author) Other; Roberto De Philippis (Author) Other; Philip C Wright (Author) Other; Paula Tamagnini (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Proteomics

Vol. 120

Pages: 75-94

ISSN: 1874-3919

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 62 Citations

Scopus - 72 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Biological sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00A-9A6

DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2015.03.004

Abstract (EN): The effects of several heavy metals on the growth/survival, EPS production, ultrastructure and protein profiles of the highly efficient extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)-producer cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. CCY 0110 were evaluated. Our results clearly show that each heavy metal affects the cells in a particular manner, triggering distinctive responses. Concerning chronic exposure, cells were more affected by Cu2+ followed by Pb2+, Cd2+, and Li+. The presence of metal leads to remarkable ultrastructural changes, mainly at the thylakoid level. The comparison of the proteomes (iTRAQ) allowed to follow the stress responses and to distinguish specific effects related to the time of exposure and/or the concentration of an essential (Cu2+) and a non-essential (Cd2+) metal. The majority of the proteins identified and with fold changes were associated with photosynthesis, CO2 fixation and carbohydrate metabolism, translation, and nitrogen and amino acid metabolism. Moreover, our results indicate that during chronic exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of Cu2+, the cells tune down their metabolic rate to invest energy in the activation of detoxification mechanisms, which eventually result in a remarkable recovery. In contrast, the toxic effects of Cd2+ are cumulative. Unexpectedly, the amount of released polysaccharides (RPS) was not enhanced by the presence of heavy metals. Biological significance This work shows the holistic effects of different heavy metals on the cells of the highly efficient EPS-producer the cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. CCY 0110. The growth/survival, BPS production, ultrastructure, protein profiles and stress response were evaluated. The knowledge generated by this study will contribute to the implementation of heavy-metal removal systems based on cyanobacteria EPS or their isolated polymers. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 20