ALBERT

Description: Coccolithophores have influenced the global climate for over 200 million years1. These marine phytoplankton can account for 20 per cent of total carbon fixation in some systems2. They form blooms that can occupy hundreds of thousands of square kilometres and are distinguished by their elegantly sculpted calcium carbonate exoskeletons (coccoliths), rendering themvisible fromspace3.Although coccolithophores export carbon in the form of organic matter and calcite to the sea floor, they also release CO2 in the calcification process. Hence, they have a complex influence on the carbon cycle, driving either CO2 production or uptake, sequestration and export to the deep ocean4. Here we report the first haptophyte reference genome, from the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi strain CCMP1516, and sequences from 13 additional isolates. Our analyses reveal a pan genome (core genes plus genes distributed variably between strains) probably supported by an atypical complement of repetitive sequence in the genome. Comparisons across strains demonstrate thatE. huxleyi, which has long been considered a single species, harbours extensive genome variability reflected in different metabolic repertoires. Genome variability within this species complex seems to underpin its capacity both to thrive in habitats ranging from the equator to the subarctic and to form large-scale episodic blooms under a wide variety of environmental conditions.

Description: The Southern Ocean houses a diverse and productive community of organisms. Unicellular eukaryotic diatoms are the main primary producers in this environment, where photosynthesis is limited by low concentrations of dissolved iron and large seasonal fluctuations in light, temperature and the extent of sea ice. How diatoms have adapted to this extreme environment is largely unknown. Here we present insights into the genome evolution of a cold-adapted diatom from the Southern Ocean, Fragilariopsis cylindrus based on a comparison with temperate diatoms. We find that approximately 24.7 per cent of the diploid F. cylindrus genome consists of genetic loci with alleles that are highly divergent from those of temperate diatoms (15.1 megabases of the total genome size of 61.1 megabases). These divergent alleles were differentially expressed across environmental conditions, including darkness, low iron, freezing, elevated temperature and increased CO2. Alleles with the largest ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide substitutions also show the most pronounced condition-dependent expression, suggesting a correlation between diversifying selection and allelic differentiation. Divergent alleles may be involved in adaptation to environmental fluctuations in the Southern Ocean.

Description: © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Biogeosciences 15 (2018): 4923-4942, doi:10.5194/bg-15-4923-2018.

Description: Phaeocystis antarctica is an important phytoplankter of the Ross Sea where it dominates the early season bloom after sea ice retreat and is a major contributor to carbon export. The factors that influence Phaeocystis colony formation and the resultant Ross Sea bloom initiation have been of great scientific interest, yet there is little known about the underlying mechanisms responsible for these phenomena. Here, we present laboratory and field studies on Phaeocystis antarctica grown under multiple iron conditions using a coupled proteomic and transcriptomic approach. P. antarctica had a lower iron limitation threshold than a Ross Sea diatom Chaetoceros sp., and at increased iron nutrition (〉120pM Fe') a shift from flagellate cells to a majority of colonial cells in P. antarctica was observed, implying a role for iron as a trigger for colony formation. Proteome analysis revealed an extensive and coordinated shift in proteome structure linked to iron availability and life cycle transitions with 327 and 436 proteins measured as significantly different between low and high iron in strains 1871 and 1374, respectively. The enzymes flavodoxin and plastocyanin that can functionally replace iron metalloenzymes were observed at low iron treatments consistent with cellular iron-sparing strategies, with plastocyanin having a larger dynamic range. The numerous isoforms of the putative iron-starvation-induced protein (ISIP) group (ISIP2A and ISIP3) had abundance patterns coinciding with that of either low or high iron (and coincident flagellate or the colonial cell types in strain 1871), implying that there may be specific iron acquisition systems for each life cycle type. The proteome analysis also revealed numerous structural proteins associated with each cell type: within flagellate cells actin and tubulin from flagella and haptonema structures as well as a suite of calcium-binding proteins with EF domains were observed. In the colony-dominated samples a variety of structural proteins were observed that are also often found in multicellular organisms including spondins, lectins, fibrillins, and glycoproteins with von Willebrand domains. A large number of proteins of unknown function were identified that became abundant at either high or low iron availability. These results were compared to the first metaproteomic analysis of a Ross Sea Phaeocystis bloom to connect the mechanistic information to the in situ ecology and biogeochemistry. Proteins associated with both flagellate and colonial cells were observed in the bloom sample consistent with the need for both cell types within a growing bloom. Bacterial iron storage and B12 biosynthesis proteins were also observed consistent with chemical synergies within the colony microbiome to cope with the biogeochemical conditions. Together these responses reveal a complex, highly coordinated effort by P. antarctica to regulate its phenotype at the molecular level in response to iron and provide a window into the biology, ecology, and biogeochemistry of this group.

Description: Support for this study was provided by an Investigator grant to Mak A. Saito from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF3782), National Science Foundation grants NSF-PLR 0732665, OCE-1435056, OCE-1220484, and ANT-1643684, the WHOI Coastal Ocean Institute, and a CINAR Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship provided to Sara J. Bender through the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Support was provided to Andrew E. Allen through NSF awards ANT-0732822, ANT-1043671, and OCE-1136477 and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant GBMF3828. Additional support was provided to GRD through NSF award OPP-0338097.

Description: © The Author(s), 2013. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Frontiers in Chemistry 1 (2013): 25, doi:10.3389/fchem.2013.00025.

Description: Dissolved and particulate metal concentrations are reported from three sites beneath and at the base of the McMurdo Sound seasonal sea ice in the Ross Sea of Antarctica. This dataset provided insight into Co and Mn biogeochemistry, supporting a previous hypothesis for water column mixing occurring faster than scavenging. Three observations support this: first, Mn-containing particles with Mn/Al ratios in excess of the sediment were present in the water column, implying the presence of bacterial Mn-oxidation processes. Second, dissolved and labile Co were uniform with depth beneath the sea ice after the winter season. Third, dissolved Co:PO3−4 ratios were consistent with previously observed Ross Sea stoichiometry, implying that over-winter scavenging was slow relative to mixing. Abundant dissolved Fe and Mn were consistent with a winter reserve concept, and particulate Al, Fe, Mn, and Co covaried, implying that these metals behaved similarly. Elevated particulate metals were observed in proximity to the nearby Islands, with particulate Fe/Al ratios similar to that of nearby sediment, consistent with a sediment resuspension source. Dissolved and particulate metals were elevated at the shallowest depths (particularly Fe) with elevated particulate P/Al and Fe/Al ratios in excess of sediments, demonstrating a sea ice biomass source. The sea ice biomass was extremely dense (chl a 〉9500 μg/L) and contained high abundances of particulate metals with elevated metal/Al ratios. A hypothesis for seasonal accumulation of bioactive metals at the base of the McMurdo Sound sea ice by the basal algal community is presented, analogous to a capacitor that accumulates iron during the spring and early summer. The release and transport of particulate metals accumulated at the base of the sea ice by sloughing is discussed as a potentially important mechanism in providing iron nutrition during polynya phytoplankton bloom formation and could be examined in future oceanographic expeditions.

Description: This research was funded by NSF OPP grant 0732665, NSF-OCE grant numbers 1031271, 0928414, 0752291, 1233261, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Description: Dataset: Chlorophyll-a: EN532 and EN538

Description: Chlorophyll-a concentrations from CTD cast deployments and underway seawater inflow from Endeavor 532 and Endeavor 538 cruises in 2013 (August and September) and 2014 (April and May). For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/651784

Description: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) OCE-1136345

Description: © The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cohen, N. R., Noble, A. E., Moran, D. M., McIlvin, M. R., Goepfert, T. J., Hawco, N. J., German, C. R., Horner, T. J., Lamborg, C. H., McCrow, J. P., Allen, A. E., & Saito, M. A. Hydrothermal trace metal release and microbial metabolism in the northeastern Lau Basin of the South Pacific Ocean. Biogeosciences, 18(19), (2021): 5397–5422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5397-2021.

Description: Bioactive trace metals are critical micronutrients for marine microorganisms due to their role in mediating biological redox reactions, and complex biogeochemical processes control their distributions. Hydrothermal vents may represent an important source of metals to microorganisms, especially those inhabiting low-iron waters, such as in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Previous measurements of primordial 3He indicate a significant hydrothermal source originating in the northeastern (NE) Lau Basin, with the plume advecting into the southwest Pacific Ocean at 1500–2000 m depth (Lupton et al., 2004). Studies investigating the long-range transport of trace metals associated with such dispersing plumes are rare, and the biogeochemical impacts on local microbial physiology have not yet been described. Here we quantified dissolved metals and assessed microbial metaproteomes across a transect spanning the tropical and equatorial Pacific with a focus on the hydrothermally active NE Lau Basin and report elevated iron and manganese concentrations across 441 km of the southwest Pacific. The most intense signal was detected near the Mangatolo Triple Junction (MTJ) and Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC), in close proximity to the previously reported 3He signature. Protein content in distal-plume-influenced seawater, which was high in metals, was overall similar to background locations, though key prokaryotic proteins involved in metal and organic uptake, protein degradation, and chemoautotrophy were abundant compared to deep waters outside of the distal plume. Our results demonstrate that trace metals derived from the NE Lau Basin are transported over appreciable distances into the southwest Pacific Ocean and that bioactive chemical resources released from submarine vent systems are utilized by surrounding deep-sea microbes, influencing both their physiology and their contributions to ocean biogeochemical cycling.

Description: This research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (grant nos. 1031271, 1924554, 1850719, 1736599, and 1851007); the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (grant no. 3782); and the Simons Foundation (grant no. 544236).

Description: Dataset: trace_metal_microarray

Description: Results from trace metal controlled diel microarray experiments with diatoms carried out in the Kustka and Allen labs at Rutgers in Newark, NJ from 2007-2011. Ten diel microarray experiments were completed (seven for P. tricornutum encompassing three Fe concentrations, and three for T. pseudonana encompassing two Fe concentrations). For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3667

Description: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) OCE-0727997

Description: Dataset: T_pseudonana_growth

Description: Results from metal limitation experiments (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn) conducted in the diatom T. pseudonana carried out in the Kustka and Allen labs at Rutgers in Newark, NJ from 2007-2011 For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3668

Description: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) OCE-0727997

Description: Dataset: P_globosa_growth

Description: Results from metal limitation experiments (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn) conducted in the prymensiophyte Phaeocystis globosa carried out in the Kustka and Allen labs at Rutgers in Newark, NJ from 2007-2011 For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3669

Description: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) OCE-0727997

Description: © The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Faktorova, D., Nisbet, R. E. R., Robledo, J. A. F., Casacuberta, E., Sudek, L., Allen, A. E., Ares, M., Jr., Areste, C., Balestreri, C., Barbrook, A. C., Beardslee, P., Bender, S., Booth, D. S., Bouget, F., Bowler, C., Breglia, S. A., Brownlee, C., Burger, G., Cerutti, H., Cesaroni, R., Chiurillo, M. A., Clemente, T., Coles, D. B., Collier, J. L., Cooney, E. C., Coyne, K., Docampo, R., Dupont, C. L., Edgcomb, V., Einarsson, E., Elustondo, P. A., Federici, F., Freire-Beneitez, V., Freyria, N. J., Fukuda, K., Garcia, P. A., Girguis, P. R., Gomaa, F., Gornik, S. G., Guo, J., Hampl, V., Hanawa, Y., Haro-Contreras, E. R., Hehenberger, E., Highfield, A., Hirakawa, Y., Hopes, A., Howe, C. J., Hu, I., Ibanez, J., Irwin, N. A. T., Ishii, Y., Janowicz, N. E., Jones, A. C., Kachale, A., Fujimura-Kamada, K., Kaur, B., Kaye, J. Z., Kazana, E., Keeling, P. J., King, N., Klobutcher, L. A., Lander, N., Lassadi, I., Li, Z., Lin, S., Lozano, J., Luan, F., Maruyama, S., Matute, T., Miceli, C., Minagawa, J., Moosburner, M., Najle, S. R., Nanjappa, D., Nimmo, I. C., Noble, L., Vanclova, A. M. G. N., Nowacki, M., Nunez, I., Pain, A., Piersanti, A., Pucciarelli, S., Pyrih, J., Rest, J. S., Rius, M., Robertson, D., Ruaud, A., Ruiz-Trillo, I., Sigg, M. A., Silver, P. A., Slamovits, C. H., Smith, G. J., Sprecher, B. N., Stern, R., Swart, E. C., Tsaousis, A. D., Tsypin, L., Turkewitz, A., Turnsek, J., Valach, M., Verge, V., von Dassow, P., von der Haar, T., Waller, R. F., Wang, L., Wen, X., Wheeler, G., Woods, A., Zhang, H., Mock, T., Worden, A. Z., & Lukes, J. Genetic tool development in marine protists: emerging model organisms for experimental cell biology. Nature Methods, 17, (2020): 481-494, doi:10.1038/s41592-020-0796-x.

Description: Diverse microbial ecosystems underpin life in the sea. Among these microbes are many unicellular eukaryotes that span the diversity of the eukaryotic tree of life. However, genetic tractability has been limited to a few species, which do not represent eukaryotic diversity or environmentally relevant taxa. Here, we report on the development of genetic tools in a range of protists primarily from marine environments. We present evidence for foreign DNA delivery and expression in 13 species never before transformed and for advancement of tools for eight other species, as well as potential reasons for why transformation of yet another 17 species tested was not achieved. Our resource in genetic manipulation will provide insights into the ancestral eukaryotic lifeforms, general eukaryote cell biology, protein diversification and the evolution of cellular pathways.

Description: We thank M. Salisbury and D. Lacono, C. Poirier, M. Hamilton, C. Eckmann, H. Igel, C. Yung and K. Hoadley for assistance; V.K. Nagarajan, M. Accerbi and P.J. Green who carried out Agrobacterium studies in Heterosigma akashiwo, and N. Kraeva, C. Bianchi and V. Yurchenko for the help with designing the p57-V5+NeoR construct. We are also grateful to the protocols.io team (L. Teytelman and A. Broellochs) for their support. This collaborative effort was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation EMS Program of the Marine Microbiology Initiative (grant nos. GBMF4972 and 4972.01 to F.-Y.B.; GBMF4970 and 4970.01 to M.A. and A.Z.W.; GBMF3788 to A.Z.W.; GBMF 4968 and 4968.01 to H.C.; GBMF4984 to V.H.; GBMF4974 and 4974.01 to C. Brownlee; GBMF4964 to Y. Hirakawa; GBMF4961 to T. Mock; GBMF4958 to P.S.; GBMF4957 to A.T.; GBMF4960 to G.J.S.; GBMF4979 to K.C.; GBMF4982 and 4982.01 to J.L.C.; GBMF4964 to P.J.K.; GBMF4981 to P.v.D.; GBMF5006 to A.E.A.; GBMF4986 to C.M.; GBMF4962 to J.A.F.R.; GBMF4980 and 4980.01 to S.L.; GBMF 4977 and 4977.01 to R.F.W.; GBMF4962.01 to C.H.S.; GBMF4985 to J.M.; GBMF4976 and 4976.01 to C.H.; GBMF4963 and 4963.01 to V.E.; GBMF5007 to C.L.D.; GBMF4983 and 4983.01 to J.L.; GBMF4975 and 4975.01 to A.D.T.; GBMF4973 and 4973.01 to I.R.-T. and GBMF4965 to N.K.), by The Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2017-364) to T. Mock and A. Hopes, and by ERD funds (16_019/0000759) from the Czech Ministry of Education to J.L.