%0 Journal Article %J mBio %D 2023 %T Transcriptional Mechanisms of Thermal Acclimation in \textit{Prochlorococcus %A Alonso-Sáez, Laura %A Palacio, Antonio S. %A Cabello, Ana M. %A Robaina-Estévez, Semidán %A González, José M. %A Garczarek, Laurence %A López-Urrutia, Ángel %E Martiny, Jennifer B. H. %K RCC3377 %X Low temperature limits the growth and the distribution of the key oceanic primary producer Prochlorococcus, which does not proliferate above a latitude of ca. 40°. Yet, the molecular basis of thermal acclimation in this cyanobacterium remains unexplored. We analyzed the transcriptional response of the Prochlorococcus marinus strain MIT9301 in long-term acclimations and in natural Prochlorococcus populations along a temperature range enabling its growth (17 to 30°C). MIT9301 upregulated mechanisms of the global stress response at the temperature minimum (17°C) but maintained the expression levels of genes involved in essential metabolic pathways (e.g., ATP synthesis and carbon fixation) along the whole thermal niche. Notably, the declining growth of MIT9301 from the optimum to the minimum temperature was coincident with a transcriptional suppression of the photosynthetic apparatus and a dampening of its circadian expression patterns, indicating a loss in their regulatory capacity under cold conditions. Under warm conditions, the cellular transcript inventory of MIT9301 was strongly streamlined, which may also induce regulatory imbalances due to stochasticity in gene expression. The daytime transcriptional suppression of photosynthetic genes at low temperature was also observed in metatranscriptomic reads mapping to MIT9301 across the global ocean, implying that this molecular mechanism may be associated with the restricted distribution of Prochlorococcus to temperate zones. %B mBio %P e03425–22 %G eng %U https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.03425-22 %R 10.1128/mbio.03425-22 %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Microbiology %D 2022 %T Comparative Thermophysiology of Marine Synechococcus CRD1 Strains Isolated From Different Thermal Niches in Iron-Depleted Areas %A Ferrieux, Mathilde %A Dufour, Louison %A Doré, Hugo %A Ratin, Morgane %A Guéneuguès, Audrey %A Chasselin, Léo %A Marie, Dominique %A Rigaut-jalabert, Fabienne %A Le Gall, Florence %A Sciandra, Théo %A Monier, Garance %A Hoebeke, Mark %A Corre, Erwan %A Xia, Xiaomin %A Liu, Hongbin %A Scanlan, David J. %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Garczarek, Laurence %K RCC2374 %K RCC2385 %K RCC2533 %K RCC2534 %K RCC2571 %K RCC515 %K rcc539 %K rcc791 %X Marine Synechococcus cyanobacteria are ubiquitous in the ocean, a feature likely related to their extensive genetic diversity. Amongst the major lineages, clades I and IV preferentially thrive in temperate and cold, nutrient-rich waters, whilst clades II and III prefer warm, nitrogen or phosphorus-depleted waters. The existence of such cold (I/IV) and warm (II/III) thermotypes is corroborated by physiological characterization of representative strains. A fifth clade, CRD1, was recently shown to dominate the Synechococcus community in iron-depleted areas of the world ocean and to encompass three distinct ecologically significant taxonomic units (ESTUs CRD1A-C) occupying different thermal niches, suggesting that distinct thermotypes could also occur within this clade. Here, using comparative thermophysiology of strains representative of these three CRD1 ESTUs we show that the CRD1A strain MITS9220 is a warm thermotype, the CRD1B strain BIOS-U3-1 a cold temperate thermotype, and the CRD1C strain BIOS-E4-1 a warm temperate stenotherm. Curiously, the CRD1B thermotype lacks traits and/or genomic features typical of cold thermotypes. In contrast, we found specific physiological traits of the CRD1 strains compared to their clade I, II, III, and IV counterparts, including a lower growth rate and photosystem II maximal quantum yield at most temperatures and a higher turnover rate of the D1 protein. Together, our data suggests that the CRD1 clade prioritizes adaptation to low-iron conditions over temperature adaptation, even though the occurrence of several CRD1 thermotypes likely explains why the CRD1 clade as a whole occupies most iron-limited waters. %B Frontiers in Microbiology %V 13 %G eng %U https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2022.893413 %R 10.3389/fmicb.2022.893413 %0 Journal Article %J Genome Biology and Evolution %D 2022 %T Diversity and evolution of pigment types in marine \textit{Synechococcus cyanobacteria %A Grébert, Théophile %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Daubin, Vincent %A Humily, Florian %A Marie, Dominique %A Ratin, Morgane %A Devailly, Alban %A Farrant, Gregory K. %A Mary, Isabelle %A Mella-Flores, Daniella %A Tanguy, Gwenn %A Labadie, Karine %A Wincker, Patrick %A Kehoe, David M. %A Partensky, Frédéric %E Angert, Esther %K RCC307 %K to add %X DNA integration and site-specific recombination, suggesting that their genomic variability relies D in part on a ‘tycheposon’-like mechanism. Comparison of the phylogenies obtained for PBS and E core genes revealed that the evolutionary history of PBS rod genes differs from the core T genome and is characterized by the co-existence of different alleles and frequent allelic P exchange. We propose a scenario for the evolution of the different pigment types and highlight E the importance of incomplete lineage sorting in maintaining a wide diversity of pigment types in C different Synechococcus lineages despite multiple speciation events. %B Genome Biology and Evolution %P evac035 %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-article/doi/10.1093/gbe/evac035/6547267 %R 10.1093/gbe/evac035 %0 Journal Article %J mSystems %D 2022 %T Global Phylogeography of Marine Synechococcus in Coastal Areas Reveals Strong Community Shifts %A Doré, Hugo %A Leconte, Jade %A Guyet, Ulysse %A Breton, Solène %A Farrant, Gregory K. %A Demory, David %A Ratin, Morgane %A Hoebeke, Mark %A Corre, Erwan %A Pitt, Frances D. %A Ostrowski, Martin %A Scanlan, David J. %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Six, Christophe %A Garczarek, Laurence %K RCC1086 %K RCC1695 %K RCC2369 %K rcc2380 %K RCC2553 %K RCC2556 %K RCC2570 %K rcc791 %X Marine Synechococcus comprise a numerically and ecologically prominent phytoplankton group, playing a major role in both carbon cycling and trophic networks in all oceanic regions except in the polar oceans. Despite their high abundance in coastal areas, our knowledge of Synechococcus communities in these environments is based on only a few local studies. Here, we use the global metagenome data set of the Ocean Sampling Day (June 21st, 2014) to get a snapshot of the taxonomic composition of coastal Synechococcus communities worldwide, by recruitment on a reference database of 141 picocyanobacterial genomes, representative of the whole Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and Cyanobium diversity. This allowed us to unravel drastic community shifts over small to medium scale gradients of environmental factors, in particular along European coasts. The combined analysis of the phylogeography of natural populations and the thermophysiological characterization of eight strains, representative of the four major Synechococcus lineages (clades I to IV), also brought novel insights about the differential niche partitioning of clades I and IV, which most often co-dominate the Synechococcus community in cold and temperate coastal areas. Altogether, this study reveals several important characteristics and specificities of the coastal communities of Synechococcus worldwide. IMPORTANCE Synechococcus is the second most abundant phytoplanktonic organism on Earth, and its wide genetic diversity allowed it to colonize all the oceans except for polar waters, with different clades colonizing distinct oceanic niches. In recent years, the use of global metagenomics data sets has greatly improved our knowledge of “who is where” by describing the distribution of Synechococcus clades or ecotypes in the open ocean. However, little is known about the global distribution of Synechococcus ecotypes in coastal areas, where Synechococcus is often the dominant phytoplanktonic organism. Here, we leverage the global Ocean Sampling Day metagenomics data set to describe Synechococcus community composition in coastal areas worldwide, revealing striking community shifts, in particular along the coasts of Europe. As temperature appears as an important driver of the community composition, we also characterize the thermal preferenda of 8 Synechococcus strains, bringing new insights into the adaptation to temperature of the dominant Synechococcus clades. %B mSystems %P e00656–22 %G eng %U https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/msystems.00656-22 %R 10.1128/msystems.00656-22 %0 Journal Article %J mBio %D 2022 %T Multiple Photolyases Protect the Marine Cyanobacterium Synechococcus from Ultraviolet Radiation %A Haney, Allissa M. %A Sanfilippo, Joseph E. %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Kehoe, David M. %E Ruby, Edward %K rcc555 %X

Marine cyanobacteria depend on light for photosynthesis, restricting their growth to the photic zone. The upper part of this layer is exposed to strong UV radiation (UVR), a DNA mutagen that can harm these microorganisms. To thrive in UVR-rich waters, marine cyanobacteria employ photoprotection strategies that are still not well defined. Among these are photolyases, light-activated enzymes that repair DNA dimers generated by UVR. Our analysis of genomes of 81 strains of Synechococcus, Cyanobium, and Prochlorococcus isolated from the world’s oceans shows that they possess up to five genes encoding different members of the photolyase/cryptochrome family, including a photolyase with a novel domain arrangement encoded by either one or two separate genes. We disrupted the putative photolyase-encoding genes in Synechococcus sp. strain RS9916 and discovered that each gene contributes to the overall capacity of this organism to survive UVR. Additionally, each conferred increased survival after UVR exposure when transformed into Escherichia coli lacking its photolyase and SOS response. Our results provide the first evidence that this large set of photolyases endows Synechococcus with UVR resistance that is far superior to that of E. coli, but that, unlike for E. coli, these photolyases provide Synechococcus with the vast majority of its UVR tolerance.

%B mBio %V 13 %P e01511–22 %8 aug %G eng %U https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01511-22 %R 10.1128/mbio.01511-22 %0 Journal Article %J Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %D 2021 %T Molecular bases of an alternative dual-enzyme system for light color acclimation of marine \textit{Synechococcus cyanobacteria %A Grébert, Théophile %A Nguyen, Adam A. %A Pokhrel, Suman %A Joseph, Kes Lynn %A Ratin, Morgane %A Dufour, Louison %A Chen, Bo %A Haney, Allissa M. %A Karty, Jonathan A. %A Trinidad, Jonathan C. %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Schluchter, Wendy M. %A Kehoe, David M. %A Partensky, Frédéric %K RCC2374 %K to add %X

Marine Synechococcus cyanobacteria owe their ubiquity in part to the wide pigment diversity of their light-harvesting complexes. In open ocean waters, cells predominantly possess sophisticated antennae with rods composed of phycocyanin and two types of phycoerythrins (PEI and PEII). Some strains are specialized for harvesting either green or blue light, while others can dynamically modify their light absorption spectrum to match the dominant ambient color. This process, called type IV chromatic acclimation (CA4), has been linked to the presence of a small genomic island occurring in two configurations (CA4-A and CA4-B). While the CA4-A process has been partially characterized, the CA4-B process has remained an enigma. Here we characterize the function of two members of the phycobilin lyase E/F clan, MpeW and MpeQ, in Synechococcus sp. strain A15-62 and demonstrate their critical role in CA4-B. While MpeW, encoded in the CA4-B island and up-regulated in green light, attaches the green light-absorbing chromophore phycoerythrobilin to cysteine-83 of the PEII α-subunit in green light, MpeQ binds phycoerythrobilin and isomerizes it into the blue light-absorbing phycourobilin at the same site in blue light, reversing the relationship of MpeZ and MpeY in the CA4-A strain RS9916. Our data thus reveal key molecular differences between the two types of chromatic acclimaters, both highly abundant but occupying distinct complementary ecological niches in the ocean. They also support an evolutionary scenario whereby CA4-B island acquisition allowed former blue light specialists to become chromatic acclimaters, while former green light specialists would have acquired this capacity by gaining a CA4-A island.

%B Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %V 118 %P e2019715118 %G eng %U http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.2019715118 %R 10.1073/pnas.2019715118 %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Microbiology %D 2020 %T Changes in population age-structure obscure the temperature-size rule in marine cyanobacteria %A Palacio, Antonio S. %A Cabello, Ana María %A García, Francisca C. %A Labban, Abbrar %A Morán, Xosé Anxelu G. %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Alonso-Sáez, Laura %A López-Urrutia, Ángel %K cell cycle %K Cell Division %K cell size %K Prochlorococcus %K rcc2382 %K RCC3377 %K Synechococcus %K temperature %K temperature-size rule %X The temperature-size Rule (TSR) states that there is a negative relationship between ambient temperature and body size. This rule has been independently evaluated for different phases of the life cycle in multicellular eukaryotes, but mostly for the average population in unicellular organisms. We acclimated two model marine cyanobacterial strains (Prochlorococcus marinus MIT9301 and Synechococcus sp. RS9907) to a gradient of temperatures and measured the changes in population age-structure and cell size along their division cycle. Both strains displayed temperature-dependent diel changes in cell size, and as a result, the relationship between temperature and average cell size varied along the day. We computed the mean cell size of new-born cells in order to test the prediction of the TSR on a single-growth stage. Our work reconciles previous inconsistent results when testing the TSR on unicellular organisms, and shows that when a single-growth stage is considered the predicted negative response to temperature is revealed. %B Frontiers in Microbiology %V 11 %P 2059 %8 aug %G eng %U https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.02059/full %R 10.3389/fmicb.2020.02059 %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Microbiology %D 2020 %T Evolutionary mechanisms of long-term genome diversification associated with niche partitioning in marine picocyanobacteria %A Doré, Hugo %A Farrant, Gregory K. %A Guyet, Ulysse %A Haguait, Julie %A Humily, Florian %A Ratin, Morgane %A Pitt, Frances D. %A Ostrowski, Martin %A Six, Christophe %A Brillet-Guéguen, Loraine %A Hoebeke, Mark %A Bisch, Antoine %A Le Corguillé, Gildas %A Corre, Erwan %A Labadie, Karine %A Aury, Jean-Marc %A Wincker, Patrick %A Choi, Dong Han %A Noh, Jae Hoon %A Eveillard, Damien %A Scanlan, David J. %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Garczarek, Laurence %K amino-acid substitutions %K comparative genomics %K evolution %K genomic islands %K marine cyanobacteria %K niche adaptation %K Prochlorococcus %K rcc1084 %K RCC1085 %K RCC1086 %K RCC1087 %K RCC156 %K RCC158 %K rcc162 %K RCC2033 %K RCC2035 %K RCC2319 %K RCC2366 %K RCC2368 %K RCC2369 %K RCC2374 %K RCC2376 %K RCC2378 %K RCC2379 %K rcc2380 %K RCC2381 %K rcc2382 %K RCC2383 %K RCC2385 %K RCC2433 %K RCC2436 %K RCC2438 %K RCC2527 %K RCC2528 %K RCC2533 %K RCC2534 %K RCC2535 %K RCC2553 %K RCC2554 %K RCC2555 %K RCC2556 %K RCC2571 %K RCC2673 %K RCC278 %K rcc296 %K RCC307 %K RCC328 %K RCC3377 %K RCC407 %K RCC515 %K rcc539 %K rcc555 %K RCC556 %K rcc752 %K RCC753 %K rcc791 %K Synechococcus %B Frontiers in Microbiology %V 11 %P 1–23 %8 sep %G eng %U https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.567431/full %R 10.3389/fmicb.2020.567431 %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Microbiology %D 2020 %T Synergic effects of temperature and irradiance on the physiology of the marine synechococcus strain WH7803 %A Guyet, Ulysse %A Nguyen, Ngoc A. %A Doré, Hugo %A Haguait, Julie %A Pittera, Justine %A Conan, Maël %A Ratin, Morgane %A Corre, Erwan %A Le Corguillé, Gildas %A Brillet-Guéguen, Loraine %A Hoebeke, Mark %A Six, Christophe %A Steglich, Claudia %A Siegel, Anne %A Eveillard, Damien %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Garczarek, Laurence %K light stress %K marine cyanobacteria %K rcc752 %K Synechococcus %K temperature stress %K transcriptomics %K UV radiations %X Understanding how microorganisms adjust their metabolism to maintain their ability to cope with short-term environmental variations constitutes one of the major current challenges in microbial ecology. Here, the best physiologically characterized marine Synechococcus strain, WH7803, was exposed to modulated light/dark cycles or acclimated to continuous high-light (HL) or low-light (LL), then shifted to various stress conditions, including low (LT) or high temperature (HT), HL and ultraviolet (UV) radiations. Physiological responses were analyzed by measuring time courses of photosystem (PS) II quantum yield, PSII repair rate, pigment ratios and global changes in gene expression. Previously published membrane lipid composition were also used for correlation analyses. These data revealed that cells previously acclimated to HL are better prepared than LL-acclimated cells to sustain an additional light or UV stress, but not a LT stress. Indeed, LT seems to induce a synergic effect with the HL treatment, as previously observed with oxidative stress. While all tested shift conditions induced the downregulation of many photosynthetic genes, notably those encoding PSI, cytochrome b6/f and phycobilisomes, UV stress proved to be more deleterious for PSII than the other treatments, and full recovery of damaged PSII from UV stress seemed to involve the neo-synthesis of a fairly large number of PSII subunits and not just the reassembly of pre-existing subunits after D1 replacement. In contrast, genes involved in glycogen degradation and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways were more particularly upregulated in response to LT. Altogether, these experiments allowed us to identify responses common to all stresses and those more specific to a given stress, thus highlighting genes potentially involved in niche acclimation of a key member of marine ecosystems. Our data also revealed important specific features of the stress responses compared to model freshwater cyanobacteria. %B Frontiers in Microbiology %V 11 %P 1707 %8 jul %G eng %U www.frontiersin.org %R 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01707 %0 Journal Article %J Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %D 2019 %T Interplay between differentially expressed enzymes contributes to light color acclimation in marine Synechococcus %A Sanfilippo, Joseph E. %A Nguyen, Adam A. %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Karty, Jonathan A. %A Pokhrel, Suman %A Strnat, Johann A. %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Schluchter, Wendy M. %A Kehoe, David M. %K RCC1086 %K RCC2035 %K rcc2380 %K rcc2382 %K RCC2385 %K RCC2433 %K RCC2437 %K RCC2528 %K RCC2533 %K RCC2534 %K RCC2535 %K RCC2571 %K RCC2673 %K RCC28 %K RCC307 %K RCC328 %K RCC515 %K rcc555 %K rcc791 %X Marine Synechococcus , a globally important group of cyanobacteria, thrives in various light niches in part due to its varied photosynthetic light-harvesting pigments. Many Synechococcus strains use a process known as chromatic acclimation to optimize the ratio of two chromophores, green-light–absorbing phycoerythrobilin (PEB) and blue-light–absorbing phycourobilin (PUB), within their light-harvesting complexes. A full mechanistic understanding of how Synechococcus cells tune their PEB to PUB ratio during chromatic acclimation has not yet been obtained. Here, we show that interplay between two enzymes named MpeY and MpeZ controls differential PEB and PUB covalent attachment to the same cysteine residue. MpeY attaches PEB to the light-harvesting protein MpeA in green light, while MpeZ attaches PUB to MpeA in blue light. We demonstrate that the ratio of mpeY to mpeZ mRNA determines if PEB or PUB is attached. Additionally, strains encoding only MpeY or MpeZ do not acclimate. Examination of strains of Synechococcus isolated from across the globe indicates that the interplay between MpeY and MpeZ uncovered here is a critical feature of chromatic acclimation for marine Synechococcus worldwide. %B Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %V 116 %P 6457–6462 %8 mar %G eng %U http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.1810491116 %R 10.1073/pnas.1810491116 %0 Journal Article %J New Phytologist %D 2019 %T Unveiling membrane thermoregulation strategies in marine picocyanobacteria %A Breton, Solène %A Jouhet, Juliette %A Guyet, Ulysse %A Gros, Valérie %A Pittera, Justine %A Demory, David %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Doré, Hugo %A Ratin, Morgane %A Maréchal, Éric %A Nguyen, Ngoc An %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Six, Christophe %K RCC2374 %K RCC2385 %K RCC515 %K rcc539 %B New Phytologist %P nph.16239 %8 oct %G eng %U https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nph.16239 %R 10.1111/nph.16239 %0 Journal Article %J Photosynthesis Research %D 2018 %T Comparison of photosynthetic performances of marine picocyanobacteria with different configurations of the oxygen-evolving complex %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Mella-Flores, Daniella %A Six, Christophe %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Czjzek, Mirjam %A Marie, Dominique %A Kotabová, Eva %A Felcmanová, Kristina %A Prášil, Ondřej %K rcc752 %X The extrinsic PsbU and PsbV proteins are known to play a critical role in stabilizing the Mn4CaO5 cluster of the PSII oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). However, most isolates of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus naturally miss these proteins, even though they have kept the main OEC protein, PsbO. A structural homology model of the PSII of such a natural deletion mutant strain (P. marinus MED4) did not reveal any obvious compensation mechanism for this lack. To assess the physiological consequences of this unusual OEC, we compared oxygen evolution between Prochlorococcus strains missing psbU and psbV (PCC 9511 and SS120) and two marine strains possessing these genes (Prochlorococcus sp. MIT9313 and Synechococcus sp. WH7803). While the low light-adapted strain SS120 exhibited the lowest maximal O2 evolution rates (Pmax per divinyl-chlorophyll a, per cell or per photosystem II) of all four strains, the high light-adapted strain PCC 9511 displayed even higher PChlmax and PPSIImax at high irradiance than Synechococcus sp. WH7803. Furthermore, thermoluminescence glow curves did not show any alteration in the B-band shape or peak position that could be related to the lack of these extrinsic proteins. This suggests an efficient functional adaptation of the OEC in these natural deletion mutants, in which PsbO alone is seemingly sufficient to ensure proper oxygen evolution. Our study also showed that Prochlorococcus strains exhibit negative net O2 evolution rates at the low irradiances encountered in minimum oxygen zones, possibly explaining the very low O2 concentrations measured in these environments, where Prochlorococcus is the dominant oxyphototroph. %B Photosynthesis Research %V 138 %P 57–71 %G eng %U https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-018-0539-3 %R 10.1007/s11120-018-0539-3 %0 Journal Article %J Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %D 2018 %T Light color acclimation is a key process in the global ocean distribution of Synechococcus cyanobacteria %A Grébert, Théophile %A Doré, Hugo %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Farrant, Gregory K. %A Boss, Emmanuel S. %A Picheral, Marc %A Guidi, Lionel %A Pesant, Stéphane %A Scanlan, David J. %A Wincker, Patrick %A Acinas, Silvia G. %A Kehoe, David M. %A Garczarek, Laurence %K 2018 %K RCC1016 %K RCC1017 %K RCC1018 %K RCC1020 %K RCC1023 %K RCC1027 %K RCC1030 %K RCC1031 %K rcc1084 %K RCC1085 %K RCC1086 %K RCC1087 %K RCC1096 %K RCC1097 %K RCC1649 %K RCC1661 %K RCC1688 %K RCC2032 %K RCC2033 %K RCC2035 %K RCC2319 %K RCC2366 %K RCC2368 %K RCC2369 %K RCC2370 %K RCC2372 %K RCC2373 %K RCC2374 %K RCC2375 %K RCC2376 %K RCC2378 %K RCC2379 %K rcc2380 %K RCC2381 %K rcc2382 %K RCC2383 %K RCC2384 %K RCC2385 %K RCC2415 %K RCC2432 %K RCC2433 %K RCC2434 %K RCC2435 %K RCC2436 %K RCC2437 %K RCC2438 %K RCC2457 %K RCC2525 %K RCC2526 %K RCC2527 %K RCC2528 %K RCC2529 %K RCC2530 %K RCC2532 %K RCC2533 %K RCC2534 %K RCC2536 %K RCC2553 %K RCC2554 %K RCC2555 %K RCC2556 %K RCC2567 %K RCC2568 %K RCC2569 %K RCC2570 %K RCC2571 %K RCC2673 %K rcc30 %K RCC3010 %K RCC3012 %K RCC3014 %K RCC307 %K RCC316 %K RCC318 %K RCC325 %K RCC326 %K RCC328 %K RCC37 %K RCC44 %K RCC46 %K RCC47 %K RCC515 %K rcc539 %K RCC542 %K RCC543 %K RCC550 %K RCC552 %K RCC553 %K rcc555 %K RCC556 %K RCC557 %K RCC558 %K RCC559 %K RCC62 %K RCC650 %K RCC66 %K rcc752 %K RCC753 %K RCC790 %K rcc791 %K RCC792 %K RCC793 %K RCC794 %K sbr?hyto?app %X Marine Synechococcus cyanobacteria are major contributors to global oceanic primary production and exhibit a unique diversity of photosynthetic pigments, allowing them to exploit a wide range of light niches. However, the relationship between pigment content and niche partitioning has remained largely undetermined so far due to the lack of a single-genetic marker resolving all pigment types (PT). Here, we developed a novel and robust method based on three distinct marker genes to estimate the relative abundance of all Synechococcus PTs from metagenomes. Analysis of the Tara Oceans dataset allowed us to unveil for the first time the global distribution of Synechococcus PTs and to decipher their realized environmental niches. Green-light specialists (PT 3a) dominated in warm, green equatorial waters, whereas blue-light specialists (PT 3c) were particularly abundant in oligotrophic areas. Type IV chromatic acclimaters (CA4-A/B), which are able to dynamically modify their light absorption properties to maximally absorb green or blue light, were unexpectedly the most abundant PT in our dataset and predominated at depth and high latitudes. We also identified local populations in which CA4 might be inactive due to the lack of specific CA4 genes, notably in warm high nutrient low chlorophyll areas. Major ecotypes within clades I-IV and CRD1 were preferentially associated with a particular PT, while others exhibited a wide range of PTs. Altogether, this study brings unprecedented insights into the ecology of Synechococcus PTs and highlights the complex interactions between vertical phylogeny, pigmentation and environmental parameters that shape Synechococcus populations and evolution. %B Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %V in press %P 201717069 %8 feb %G eng %U http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.1717069115 %R 10.1073/pnas.1717069115 %0 Journal Article %J Scientific Reports %D 2018 %T A novel species of the marine cyanobacterium Acaryochloris with a unique pigment content and lifestyle %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Six, Christophe %A Ratin, Morgane %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Vaulot, Daniel %A Probert, Ian %A Calteau, Alexandra %A Gourvil, Priscillia %A Marie, Dominique %A Grébert, Théophile %A Bouchier, Christiane %A Le Panse, Sophie %A Gachenot, Martin %A Rodríguez, Francisco %A Garrido, José L. %K RCC1774 %B Scientific Reports %V 8 %P 9142 %8 dec %G eng %U http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-27542-7 %R 10.1038/s41598-018-27542-7 %0 Journal Article %J Environmental Microbiology Reports %D 2018 %T Relative stability of ploidy in a marine Synechococcus across various growth conditions %A Perez-Sepulveda, Blanca %A Pitt, Frances %A N'Guyen, An Ngoc %A Ratin, Morgane %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Millard, Andrew %A Scanlan, David J %K rcc752 %X Marine picocyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus are ubiquitous phototrophs in oceanic systems. Consistent with these organisms occupying vast tracts of the nutrient impoverished ocean, most marine Synechococcus so far studied are monoploid i.e. contain a single chromosome copy. The exception is the oligoploid strain Synechococcus sp. WH7803, which on average possesses around 4 chromosome copies. Here, we set out to understand the role of resource availability (through nutrient deplete growth) and physical stressors (UV, exposure to low and high temperature) in regulating ploidy level in this strain. Using qPCR to assay ploidy status we demonstrate the relative stability of chromosome copy number in Synechococcus sp. WH7803. Such robustness in maintaining an oligoploid status even under nutrient and physical stress is indicative of a fundamental role, perhaps facilitating recombination of damaged DNA regions as a result of prolonged exposure to oxidative stress, or allowing added flexibility in gene expression via possessing multiple alleles. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. %B Environmental Microbiology Reports %P in press %8 feb %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12614 http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/1758-2229.12614 %R 10.1111/1758-2229.12614 %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Microbiology %D 2017 %T Adaptation to blue light in marine synechococcus requires MpeU, an enzyme with similarity to phycoerythrobilin lyase isomerases %A Mahmoud, Rania M. %A Sanfilippo, Joseph E. %A Nguyen, Adam A. %A Strnat, Johann A. %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Abo El Kassem, Nabil %A Kehoe, David M. %A Schluchter, Wendy M. %K 2017 %K Blue light %K light harvesting complex %K Lyase isomerase %K marine cyanobacteria %K Marine Synechococcus %K phycobilin %K Phycobilisome %K Phycoerythrin %K Phycourobilin %K rcc555 %K sbr?hyto?app %X Marine Synechococcus cyanobacteria have successfully adapted to environments with different light colors, which likely contributes to this genus being the second most abundant photosynthetic microorganism worldwide. Populations of Synechococcus that grow in deep, blue ocean waters contain large amounts of the blue-light absorbing chromophore phycourobilin (PUB) in their light harvesting complexes (phycobilisomes). Here we show that all Synechococcus strains adapted to blue light possess a gene called mpeU. MpeU is structurally similar to phycobilin lyases, enzymes that ligate chromophores to phycobiliproteins. Interruption of mpeU caused a reduction in PUB content, produced impaired phycobilisomes and reduced growth rate more strongly in blue than green light. When mpeU was reintroduced in the mpeU mutant background, the mpeU-less phenotype was complemented in terms of PUB content and phycobilisome content. Fluorescence spectra of mpeU mutant cells and purified phycobilisomes revealed red-shifted phycoerythrin emission peaks, likely indicating a defect in chromophore ligation to phycoerythrin-I (PE-I) or phycoerythrin-II (PE-II). Our results suggest that MpeU is a lyase-isomerase that attaches a phycoerythrobilin to a PEI or PEII subunit and isomerizes it to PUB. MpeU is therefore an important determinant in adaptation of Synechococcus spp. to capture photons in blue light environments throughout the world's oceans. %B Frontiers in Microbiology %V 8 %P 243 %8 feb %G eng %U http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00243/full %R 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00243 %0 Journal Article %J The ISME journal %D 2014 %T Connecting thermal physiology and latitudinal niche partitioning in marine Synechococcus %A Pittera, Justine %A Humily, Florian %A Thorel, Maxine %A Grulois, Daphne %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Six, Christophe %K 2014 %K adaptation %K ecotype %K MACUMBA %K marine cyanobacteria %K MicroB3 %K rcc %K SBR$_\textrmP$hyto$_\textrmP$PM %K sbr?hyto?app %K Synechococcus %K temperature %X Marine Synechococcus cyanobacteria constitute a monophyletic group that displays a wide latitudinal distribution, ranging from the equator to the polar fronts. Whether these organisms are all physiologically adapted to stand a large temperature gradient or stenotherms with narrow growth temperature ranges has so far remained unexplored. We submitted a panel of six strains, isolated along a gradient of latitude in the North Atlantic Ocean, to long- and short-term variations of temperature. Upon a downward shift of temperature, the strains showed strikingly distinct resistance, seemingly related to their latitude of isolation, with tropical strains collapsing while northern strains were capable of growing. This behaviour was associated to differential photosynthetic performances. In the tropical strains, the rapid photosystem II inactivation and the decrease of the antioxydant [beta]-carotene relative to chl a suggested a strong induction of oxidative stress. These different responses were related to the thermal preferenda of the strains. The northern strains could grow at 10[thinsp][deg]C while the other strains preferred higher temperatures. In addition, we pointed out a correspondence between strain isolation temperature and phylogeny. In particular, clades I and IV laboratory strains were all collected in the coldest waters of the distribution area of marine Synechococus. We, however, show that clade I Synechococcus exhibit different levels of adaptation, which apparently reflect their location on the latitudinal temperature gradient. This study reveals the existence of lineages of marine Synechococcus physiologically specialised in different thermal niches, therefore suggesting the existence of temperature ecotypes within the marine Synechococcus radiation. %B The ISME journal %V 8 %P 1221–1236 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2013.228 10.1038/ismej.2013.228 %R 10.1038/ismej.2013.228 %0 Journal Article %J PLoS ONE %D 2013 %T A gene island with two possible configurations is involved in chromatic acclimation in marine synechococcus %A Humily, Florian %A Partensky, Frédéric %A Six, Christophe %A Farrant, Gregory K %A Ratin, Morgane %A Marie, Dominique %A Garczarek, Laurence %K 2013 %K MACUMBA %K MicroB3 %K rcc %K SBR$_\textrmP$hyto$_\textrmP$PM %K sbr?hyto?app %X ¡p¿¡italic¿Synechococcus¡/italic¿, the second most abundant oxygenic phototroph in the marine environment, harbors the largest pigment diversity known within a single genus of cyanobacteria, allowing it to exploit a wide range of light niches. Some strains are capable of Type IV chromatic acclimation (CA4), a process by which cells can match the phycobilin content of their phycobilisomes to the ambient light quality. Here, we performed extensive genomic comparisons to explore the diversity of this process within the marine ¡italic¿Synechococcus¡/italic¿ radiation. A specific gene island was identified in all CA4-performing strains, containing two genes (¡italic¿fciA¡/italic¿/b) coding for possible transcriptional regulators and one gene coding for a phycobilin lyase. However, two distinct configurations of this cluster were observed, depending on the lineage. CA4-A islands contain the ¡italic¿mpeZ¡/italic¿ gene, encoding a recently characterized phycoerythrobilin lyase-isomerase, and a third, small, possible regulator called ¡italic¿fciC¡/italic¿. In CA4-B islands, the lyase gene encodes an uncharacterized relative of MpeZ, called MpeW. While ¡italic¿mpeZ¡/italic¿ is expressed more in blue light than green light, this is the reverse for ¡italic¿mpeW¡/italic¿, although only small phenotypic differences were found among chromatic acclimaters possessing either CA4 island type. This study provides novel insights into understanding both diversity and evolution of the CA4 process.¡/p¿ %B PLoS ONE %V 8 %P e84459 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0084459 %R 10.1371/journal.pone.0084459 %0 Journal Article %J Biogeosciences %D 2011 %T Diversity of cultivated and metabolically active aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria along an oligotrophic gradient in the Mediterranean Sea %A Jeanthon, Christian %A Boeuf, Dominique %A Dahan, Océane %A Le Gall, F %A Garczarek, Laurence %A Bendif, El Mahdi %A Lehours, Anne-Catherine %K 2011 %K rcc %K SBR$_\textrmP$hyto$_\textrmD$PO %K SBR$_\textrmP$hyto$_\textrmE$PPO %K SBR$_\textrmP$hyto$_\textrmP$PM %K sbr?hyto$_\textrmd$ipo %K sbr?hyto?app %B Biogeosciences %V 8 %P 1955–1970 %G eng %R 10.5194/bg-8-1955-2011