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Abstract Background Marine actinomycetes, especially Streptomyces, are recognized as excellent producers of diverse and bioactive secondary metabolites on account of the multiplicity of marine habitations and unique ecological conditions, which are yet to be explored in terms of taxonomy, ecology, and functional activity. Isolation, culture and genome analysis of novel species of Streptomyces to explore their potential for discovering bioactive compounds is an important approach in natural product research. Results A marine actinobacteria, designated strain SCSIO 75703 T, was isolated, and the potential for bioactive natural product discovery was evaluated based on genome mining, compound detection, and antimicrobial activity assays. The phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses indicate that strain SCSIO 75703 T represents a novel species in genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces sediminicola sp. nov. is proposed. Genome analysis revealed the presence of 25 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. The screening for antibacterial activity reveals the potential to produce bioactive metabolites, highlighting its value for in-depth exploration of chemical constituents. Seven compounds (1–7) were separated from the fractions guided by antibacterial activities, including three indole alkaloids (1–3), three polyketide derivatives (4–6), and 4-(dimethylamino)benzoic acid (7). These primarily antibacterial components were identified as anthracimycin (4), 2-epi-anthracimycin (5) and β-rubromycin (6), presenting strong antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria with the MIC value ranged from 0.125 to 16 μg/mL. Additionally,, monaprenylindole A (1) and 3-cyanomethyl-6-prenylindole (2) displayed moderate inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase with the IC50 values of 83.27 and 86.21 μg/mL, respectively. Conclusion Strain SCSIO 75703 T was isolated from marine sediment and identified as a novel species within the genus Streptomyces. Based on genomic analysis, compounds isolation and bioactivity studies, seven compounds were identified, with anthracimycin and β-rubromycin showing significant biological activity and promising potential for further applications.

IntroductionCoral reef ecosystems are undergoing significant restructuring due to climate-driven marine heatwaves. Understanding how calcareous macroalgae, the important primary producers and reef-builders, respond to temperature fluctuations is crucial.MethodsIn our study, we investigated the physiological and molecular responses of the green macroalga Halimeda macroloba to different temperatures (25, 28, 31°C) through quantitative proteomics and untargeted metabolomics analyses.Results and discussionH. macroloba showed an optimal growth at 28°C, with the highest levels of Chl a, calcium content, and photosynthetic efficiency. At the sub-optimal temperature of 25°C, the alga modulated its fatty acid composition to maintain membrane fluidity and accumulated selenium-containing metabolites to mitigate oxidative stress. At the supra-optimal temperature of 31°C, despite reduced photosynthetic performance, the alga maintained high metabolic activity to facilitate growth and calcification by increasing the abundance of proteins involved in light-harvesting, photosystems, and carbon fixation, while redistributing substantial carbon into sugars and fatty acids. Enhanced nitrogen reserves, shown by increased levels of nitrogen uptake and assimilation proteins and amino acids such as pyroglutamic and N-Methyl-D-aspartic acids, likely contributed to its high-temperature tolerance. These findings highlight the resilience of H. macroloba to moderate thermal stress and suggest its important implications for reef conservation and potential applications in aquaculture as ocean temperatures rise.

AbstractTetraselmis marina (Cienkowski) R.E.Norris, Hori & Chihara 1980, a costal green microalga, is considered as a promising animal feed in aquaculture due to the high content of fatty acids and carotenoid. Furthermore, T. marina plays important roles in bioremediation. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast genome of T. marina. Results showed that the full length of the complete chloroplast genome was 96,151 bp, containing a large single-copy region of 62,574 bp, a small single-copy region of 1261 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 16,158 bp. The GC content of the genome was 36.6%. A total of 125 genes were annotated, including 81 protein coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and six rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on 22 chloroplast genomes suggested that T. marina was closely related to Tetraselmis sp. CCMP 881.

AbstractSymbiochlorum hainanensis Gong et al. (2018). is a unicellular green alga belonging to Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta, and considered as an important species in coral-algae symbiont areas. In this study, we revealed firstly the mitochondrial genome sequence of the S. hainanensis. This mitochondrial genome was a circular DNA molecule of 59,508 bp, including 24 transfer RNA genes, 3 ribosomal RNA genes, and 31 protein-coding genes. The GC content of the genome was 35.4%. The phylogenetic tree suggested that S. hainandiae was a sister to the OUU clade within the class Ulvophyceae. The mitochondrial genome structure and gene content of S. hainanensis supported that S. hainanensis was a new unidentified green alga in Ulvophyceae.

Symbiochlorum hainandiae S.Q. Gong & Z.Y. Li, 2018 is a unicellular green alga belonging to Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta, and plays important roles in coral reef ecosystem. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology is used to sequence and assemble the chloroplast genome of S. hainandiae. The complete chloroplast genome of S. hainandiae was 158, 96 bp with the GC content of 32.86%. A total of 126 genes were identified, including 98 protein-coding genes, 26 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes. The inverted repeat region was lost in the complete chloroplast genome of S. hainandiae. The phylogenetic analysis supports that S. hainandiae is a new sister lineage to the genus Ignatius within the class Ulvophyceae.

Nitzschia dubiiformis Hust 1939 is a globally distributed species belonging to the family Bacillariaceae. This study reported the complete chloroplast genome sequences of N. dubiiformis. The genome of N. dubiiformis was 179,935 bp in length, consisting of 48,722 bp of large single copy, 103,427 bp of small single copy, and 13,893 bp of a pair of inverted repeat regions. It encoded 188 genes, including 151 protein-coding genes, 6 rRNA and 31 tRNA genes. The GC content of complete chloroplast genome was 30.4%. The phylogenomic analysis suggests that there is a close relationship between N. dubiiformis and N. traheaformis.

When constructing a three-dimensional model of a transformer substation, it is critical to quickly find the 3D CAD model corresponding to the current point cloud data from a large number of transformer substation model libraries (due to the complexity and variety of models in the model base). In response to this problem, this paper proposes a method to quickly retrieve a 3D CAD model. Firstly, a 3D CAD model that shares the same size as the current point cloud model bounding box is extracted from the model library by the double-layer bounding box screening method. Then, the selected 3D CAD model is finely compared with the point cloud model by the multi-view method. The 3D CAD model that has the highest degree of corresponding to the point cloud data is acquired. The proposed algorithm, compared to other similar methods, has the advantages of retrieval accuracy and high efficiency.

Accurate risk assessment of international scientific and technological (S&T) cooperation is significant to international cooperation. In this paper, 5 risk dimensions with respect to the political, economic, social, cultural as well as technological of the regional comprehensive economic partnership countries (RCEP) are selected to establish a proper S&T cooperation index system for risk assessment. To calculate the weight of each index, a cross-entropy combination weighting method is proposed based on the combination weighting method of game theory. Furthermore, the standard cloud model is constructed by using the golden ratio, and the risk of S&T cooperation among the RCEP countries is analyzed by the cloud model. The results show that the combination weighting method proposed in this paper is effective, and its calculation is simpler than that of the game theory combination weighting method. Besides, compared with political, social, cultural, and technological indicators, economic indicators have a greater impact on S&T cooperation risk. Furthermore, it is also obtained from the results that the risk of S&T cooperation with China and the Philippines is at a lower to low level and medium to higher level, respectively, and the risk of S&T cooperation with other countries is all at a lower to medium level.

ABSTRACT Picocyanobacteria are the most abundant primary producers in the ocean and play a fundamental role in marine carbon cycling. Quantification of picocyanobacteria on sinking particles and in sediments is essential to understanding their contribution to the biological carbon pump. We designed a primer set targeting the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence of cyanobacteria and established a quantitative PCR (qPCR) method for quantifying the ITS sequence abundance. High-throughput sequencing confirmed that this primer set can cover broad diversities of marine picocyanobacteria and avoid amplification of other marine cyanobacteria such as Trichodesmium and Crocosphaera. Amplification efficiencies were slightly different when seven marine Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus strains were assayed. The qPCR results were comparable with flow cytometry for water samples. Using this method, we found that, in the dark ocean, picocyanobacterial ITS sequence abundances were 10 to 100 copies/mL in the size fraction of 0.2 to 3 μm, which were 1 to 3 orders of magnitude more abundant than on the >3-μm particles. We also found that picocyanobacterial ITS abundance in sediment ranged from 105 to 107 copies/g along two nearshore-to-offshore transects in the northern South China Sea. These results further explain the important role of picocyanobacteria in carbon export. Collectively, we provide a qPCR method quantifying the total abundance of marine picocyanobacteria on water column particles and in sediments. Moreover, this newly designed primer set can be also applied to investigate the community of picocyanobacteria via high-throughput sequencing. IMPORTANCE Picocyanobacteria are the most abundant primary producers in the ocean. However, quantification of picocyanobacteria on the sinking particles and in sediments remains challenging using flow cytometry or epifluorescence microscopy. Here, we developed a real-time PCR method to quantify picocyanobacteria using a newly designed primer set specifically targeting the 16S-23S rRNA ITS sequence of cyanobacteria. We showed that in the dark ocean, picocyanobacteria are 1 to 3 orders of magnitude more abundant in small particles (0.2 to 3 μm) than in larger particles (>3 μm). This result supports the important role of direct sinking free-living picocyanobacteria cells in the carbon export to deep ocean. We also found that the picocyanobacterial ITS sequence abundance were 105 to 107 copies per gram in sediments, suggesting significant accumulation of sinking picocyanobacteria in the benthic ecosystem. This qPCR method can be used to quantify the contribution of picocyanobacteria to the biological carbon pump.

Prochlorococcus is an obligate marine microorganism and the dominant autotroph in tropical and subtropical open ocean. However, the salinity range for growing and response to low salinity exposure of Prochlorococcus are still unknown. In this study, we found that low-light adapted Prochlorococcus stain NATL1A and high-light adapted strain MED4 could be acclimated in the lowest salinity of 25 and 28 psu, respectively. Analysis of the effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) indicated that both strains were stressed when growing in salinity lower than 34 psu. We then compared the global transcriptome of low salinity (28 psu) acclimated cells and cells growing in normal seawater salinity (34 psu). The transcriptomic responses of NATL1A and MED4 were approximately different, with more differentially expressed genes in NATL1A (525 genes) than in MED4 (277 genes). To cope with low salinity, NATL1A down-regulated the transcript of genes involved in translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis and ATP-production, and up-regulated photosynthesis-related genes, while MED4 regulated these genes in an opposite way. In addition, both strains up-regulated an iron ABC transporter gene, idiA, suggesting low salinity acclimated cells could be iron limited. This study demonstrated the growing salinity range of Prochlorococcus cells and their global gene expression changes due to low salinity stress.

Abstract Background The coral microbiome plays a key role in host health by being involved in energy metabolism, nutrient cycling, and immune system formation. Inoculating coral with beneficial bacterial consortia may enhance the ability of this host to cope with complex and changing marine environments. In this study, the coral Pocillopora damicornis was inoculated with a beneficial microorganisms for corals (BMC) consortium to investigate how the coral host and its associated microbial community would respond. Results High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed no significant differences in bacterial community α-diversity. However, the bacterial community structure differed significantly between the BMC and placebo groups at the end of the experiment. Addition of the BMC consortium significantly increased the relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria, including the genera Mameliella and Endozoicomonas. Energy reserves and calcification rates of the coral host were also improved by the addition of the BMC consortium. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that inoculation of coral with the exogenous BMC consortium improved the physiological status of the host by shifting the coral-associated microbial community structure. Conclusions Manipulating the coral-associated microbial community may enhance the physiology of coral in normal aquarium conditions (no stress applied), which may hypothetically contribute to resilience and resistance in this host.

Two DOPO-conjugated flame retardants with or without amino terminal groups (DOPO-NH2 and DIDOPO, respectively) were synthesized and incorporated into polyamide 6 (PA6). Results demonstrated the DOPO-NH2 endowed superior thermal, flame retardant and mechanical performances to PA6 composites. With the same loading of 15 wt%, DOPO-NH2 can catalyze the PA6 matrix more effectively and result in more residues at high temperature. The PA6 composites containing DOPO-NH2 exhibited higher LOI (28.0%) compared to 25.0% for the sample containing DIDOPO, and the lower heat release capacity and peak heat release rate. Furthermore, the overall mechanical properties of PA6 composites containing DOPO-NH2 outperformed the samples containing DIDOPO, even superior to that for PA6. Such a significant difference can be mainly attributed to the existence of amino-terminal group, which can interact with carboxyl group in PA6 as confirmed by dynamic mechanical analysis, improving the compatibility between the flame retardant and PA6 matrix.

Coralline algae, an important calcifying group, play vital roles in the primary productivity, reef frameworks construction, and carbon store. In this study, we investigated the responses of an articulated coralline alga Amphiroa cf. fragilissima to ocean warming under various light intensities. The relative growth rate significantly decreased under light or heat stress. When A. cf. fragilissima was exposed to high light intensity (120 μmol photons m−2 s−1) at 32°C, the relative growth rate was lowest, which reduced by 87% compared with that of group A1 (60 μmol photons m−2 s−1, 26°C). Meanwhile, a higher level of algal bleaching occurred when light intensity was 120 μmol photons m−2 s−1. Similarly, Fv/Fm and Chl-a content were negatively affected by light and heat stress, but they were more affected by light. Furthermore, the mineralogical responses to temperature and light were investigated. The net calcification rate declined from 92.27 (60 μmol photons m−2 s−1, 26°C) to 10.92 μmol CaCO3 g−1 DW day−1 (120 μmol photons m−2 s−1, 32°C). High temperature significantly decreased Ca content in live algal pigmented layer, whereas there were no significant differences in Ca content in the skeleton layer, implying that the pigmented layer could protect skeleton layer from mineral changes under ocean warming. The results revealed that A. cf. fragilissima was impaired by high light or thermal stress from various aspects, including growth, survival, photosynthesis, reproduction, and calcification. This study contributes to understand the effects of warming and light on coralline algae and provides a theoretical basis to protect the richness and diversity of calcified macroalgae.

Although the adverse effects of increasing atmospheric CO2-induced ocean acidification (OA) on marine calcifying macroalgae have been widely reported, there are limited studies on how daily fluctuations in pCO2 (pH) within shallow ecosystems influence the growth and physiological performance of these calcifiers. Therefore, a 42-day laboratory mimetic experiment to determine how growth, biological performance and related carbon and nitrogen metabolic products of the calcifying macroalga, Halimeda opuntia are generated in response to fluctuating pCO2 under OA conditions (1200 ppmv) was performed. The results of present study showed that the adverse effects of OA were more determined by the adverse influence of elevated acidity (H+) on growth rates, calcification, photosynthesis and the related biotic performance of H. opuntia compared with the positive effects that higher CO2 provided. Moreover, diurnal fluctuations in pCO2 levels [with higher (nearly 8.10) and lower pH (nearly 7.40) values during day and night times, respectively] have amplified these negative influences on H. opuntia. To mitigate elevated pCO2-related stress, higher contents of free amino acids and proline were highly secreted and likely linked to protecting the integrity of algal cellular structures. The above results contribute to increasing our understanding of the biological consequences of pCO2 (pH) variability on calcifying Halimeda species and their physiological plasticity in response to further oceanic pCO2 changes.

Marine actinomycetes are an important source of antibiotics, but many of them are yet to be explored in terms of taxonomy, ecology, and functional activity. In this study, two marine actinobacterial strains, designated SCSIO 64649T and SCSIO 03032, were isolated, and the potential for bioactive natural product discovery was evaluated based on genome mining, compound detection, and antimicrobial activity. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SCSIO 64649T formed a single clade with SCSIO 03032 (similarity 99.5%) and sister clades with the species Streptomyces specialis DSM 41924T (97.1%) and Streptomyces manganisoli MK44T (96.8%). The whole genome size of strain SCSIO 64649T was 6.63 Mbp with a 73.6% G + C content. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization between strain SCSIO 64649T and its closest related species were well below the thresholds recommended for species delineation. Therefore, according to the results of polyphasic taxonomy analysis, the strains SCSIO 64649T and SCSIO 03032 are proposed to represent a novel species named Streptomyces marincola sp. nov. Furthermore, strains SCSIO 64649T and 03032 encode 37 putative biosynthetic gene clusters, and in silico analysis revealed that this new species has a high potential to produce unique natural products, such as a novel polyene polyketide compounds, two mayamycin analogs, and a series of post-translationally modified peptides. In addition, other important bioactive natural products, such as heronamide F, piericidin A1, and spiroindimicin A, were also detected in strain SCSIO 64649T. Finally, this new species’ metabolic crude extract showed a strong antimicrobial activity. Thanks to the integration of all these analyses, this study demonstrates that the novel species Streptomyces marincola has a unique and novel secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential that not only is beneficial to possible marine hosts but that could also be exploited for industrial applications.

Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastic is chemically inert and persistent. Massive quantities of PET waste end up in landfill sites and oceans, posing major global pollution concerns. PET degrading enzymes with high efficiency provide plastic recycling and bioremediation possibilities. Here, we report a novel cutinase, MtCut with distinct catalytic behaviors, derived from the deep sea Nocardiopsaceae family strain. Biochemical analyses showed MtCut efficiently hydrolyzed PET at ambient temperatures and in an exo-type manner. The activity and stability of MtCut were enhanced by the addition of calcium ions. Notably, no hydrolysis products inhibition was observed during PET depolymerization, suggesting MtCut is a better biocatalyst when compared to other PET hydrolases. In addition, structural components associated with thermal adaptation were investigated using molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, and key regions regulating MtCut thermostability were identified. Our biochemical and structural analyses of MtCut deepen the understanding of PET hydrolysis by cutinases, and provide invaluable insights on improvement and performance engineering strategies for PET-degrading biocatalysts.

Heterotrophic nitrification–aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) is an efficient nitrogen removal process and the genus Paracoccus is one important group of the HN-AD bacteria. During an investigation of the microbial diversity in marine ranching of the Pearl River Estuary (PR China), three bacterial strains, designated SCSIO 75817T, SCSIO 76264T and SCSIO 80058T, were isolated from sediments. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the three strains belonged to the genus Paracoccus and their closest neighbors were P. isoporae DSM 22220T (97.6–98.0%), P. aurantiacus CGMCC 1.13898T (97.3–97.6%) and P. xiamenensis MCCC 1A16381T (97.1–97.4%), respectively. The analysis results of 16S rRNA gene similarity, ANI, AAI and dDDH showed that the pairwise similarities between these three strains and their closest neighbors were 97.4–98.5%, 76.9–81.0%, 75.5–79.6% and 20.3–23.3%, respectively. Polyphasic taxonomic data of the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses indicate that these strains represent three novel species in the genus Paracoccus, for which the names Paracoccus aerodenitrificans sp. nov., Paracoccus sediminicola sp. nov. and Paracoccus albus sp. nov. are proposed, respectively. The study also demonstrated the heterotrophic nitrification–aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) ability of the novel species P. aerodenitrificans SCSIO 75817T. When it was aerobically cultivated at 28 °C using NH4+-N, NO3−-N and NO2−-N as the sole nitrogen sources, the nitrogen removal efficiencies were 73.4, 55.27 and 49.2%, respectively, and the maximum removal rates were 3.05, 1.82 and 1.63 mg/L/h, respectively. The results suggest that it has promising potential for wastewater treatment.

Abstract Background Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) are nano-granules naturally produced by bacteria. Two types of proteins, PHA synthase (PhaC) and phasins (PhaPs), are attached to the PHA surface by covalent and hydrophobic interactions. Utilizing these anchored proteins, functionalized PHA nano-granules displaying proteins of interest can be easily prepared by fermentation. Results In this study, a one-step fabrication method was developed for stable and efficient immobilization of an organophosphorus degrading enzyme on PHA nano-granules. The nano-biocatalysts were produced in recombinant Escherichia coli cells into which the polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis pathway from Cupriavidus necator had been introduced. Two different strategies, covalent attachment and hydrophobic binding, were investigated by fusing bacterial organophosphorus anhydride hydrolase (OPAA4301) with PhaC and PhaP, respectively. Using both methods, the tetrameric enzyme successfully self-assembled and was displayed on the PHA surface. The display density of the target fused enzyme was enhanced to 6.8% of total protein on decorated PHA by combination of covalent and non-covalent binding modes. Immobilization of the enzyme on PHA granules resulted in higher catalytic efficiency, increased stability and excellent reusability. The k cat values of the immobilized enzymes increased by threefold compared to that of the free enzyme. The pH stability under acidic conditions was significantly enhanced, and the immobilized enzyme was stable at pH 3.0–11.0. Furthermore, more than 80% of the initial enzyme activity retained after recycling ten times. Conclusions This study provides a promising approach for cost-efficient in vivo immobilization of a tetrameric organophosphorus degrading enzyme. The immobilization process expands the utility of the enzyme, and may inspire further commercial developments of PHA nano-biocatalysts. As revealed by our results, combination of covalent and non-covalent binding is recommended for display of enzymes on PHA granules.

The coral microbiome is one of the most complex microbial biospheres. However, the ecological processes shaping coral microbiome community assembly are not well understood. Here, we investigated the abundance, diversity, and community assembly mechanisms of coral-associated microbes from a highly diverse coral metacommunity in the South China Sea. Compared to seawater, the coral microbial metacommunity were defined by highly variable bacterial abundances among individual coral samples, high species evenness but not high species richness, high β-diversity, and a small core microbiome. We used variation partitioning analysis, neutral community model, and null model to disentangle the influences of different ecological processes in coral microbiome assembly. Measured physico-chemical parameters of the surrounding seawater and the spatial factor together explained very little of the variation in coral microbiome composition. Neutral processes only explained a minor component of the variation of coral microbial communities, suggesting a non-stochastic community assembly. Homogeneous and heterogeneous selection, but not dispersal, contributed greatly to the assembly of the coral microbiome. Such selection could be attributed to the within-host environments rather than the local environments. Our results demonstrated that dispersal limitation and host filtering contribute significantly to the assembly of discrete coral microbial regimes and expand the metacommunity diversity.

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) play vital roles in producing and stabilizing reef structures and inducing the settlement and metamorphosis of invertebrate larvae in coral reef ecosystems. However, little is known about the bacterial communities associated with healthy and bleached CCA and their interactions with coral larval settlement. We collected samples of healthy, middle semi-bleached, and bleached CCA Porolithon onkodes from Sanya Bay in the South China Sea and investigated their influences on the larval settlement and metamorphosis of the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis. The larval settlement/metamorphosis rates all exceeded 70% when exposed to healthy, middle semi-bleached, and bleached algae. Furthermore, the compositions of bacterial community using amplicon pyrosequencing of the V3–V4 region of 16S rRNA were investigated. There were no obvious changes in bacterial community structure among healthy, middle semi-bleached, and bleached algae. Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gammaproteobacteria were dominant in all samples, which may contribute to coral larval settlement. However, the relative abundances of several bacterial communities varied among groups. The relative abundances of Mesoflavibacter, Ruegeria, Nautella, and Alteromonas in bleached samples were more than double those in the healthy samples, whereas Fodinicurvata and unclassified Rhodobacteraceae were significantly lower in the bleached samples. Additionally, others at the genus level increased significantly from 8.5% in the healthy samples to 22.93% in the bleached samples, which may be related to algal bleaching. These results revealed that the microbial community structure associated with P. onkodes generally displayed a degree of stability. Furthermore, bleached alga was still able to induce larval settlement and metamorphosis.

Abstract Marine picocyanobacteria belonging to genera Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus are genetically diverged and distributed into distinct biogeographical patterns, and both are infected by genetically closely related cyanopodoviruses. Previous studies have not fully explored whether the two virus–host systems share similar gene expression patterns during infection. Whole‐genome expression dynamics of T7‐like cyanopodovirus P‐SSP7 and its host Prochlorococcus strain MED4 have already been reported. Here, we conducted genomic and transcriptomic analyses on T7‐like cyanopodovirus S‐SBP1 during its infection on Synechococcus strain WH7803. S‐SBP1 has a latent period of 8 h and phage DNA production of 30 copies per cell. In terms of whole‐genome phylogenetic relationships and average nucleotide identity, S‐SBP1 was most similar to cyanopodovirus S‐RIP2, which also infects Synechococcus WH7803. Three hypervariable genomic islands were identified when comparing the genomes of S‐SBP1 and S‐RIP2. Single nucleotide variants were also observed in three S‐SBP1 genes, which were located within the island regions. Based on RNA‐seq analysis, S‐SBP1 genes clustered into three temporal expression classes, whose gene content was similar to that of P‐SSP7. Thirty‐two host genes were upregulated during phage infection, including those involved in carbon metabolism, ribosome components, and stress response. These upregulated genes were similar to those upregulated by Prochlorococcus MED4 in response to infection by P‐SSP7. Our study demonstrates a programmed temporal expression pattern of cyanopodoviruses and hosts during infection.

Unlike most bivalves, giant clams (tridacnids) harbor symbiotic microalgae (zooxanthellae) in their other fleshy bodies. The effects of mixed populations of zooxanthellae on larval metamorphosis has been reported in several papers, but there have been very few studies on the effects of single zooxanthella species on the establishment of symbiosis in giant clams. In this study, we obtained five pure zooxanthella species (clades A3, B1, C1, D1, E1) from antler coral by molecular identification, and analyzed their effects on the larval metamorphosis and progeny performance of two giant clams, Tridacna squamosa and T. crocea, in the South China Sea. Clam larvae with all five zooxanthella species underwent larval settlement and metamorphosis, and formed the zooxanthellal tubular system. There was some variation in metamorphic rate and time to metamorphosis between clams with different zooxanthella species, but no significant differences in size at metamorphosis. After metamorphosis, larvae with all zooxanthella types continued to develop normally. Mantle color was consistent within clam species and zooxanthella species had no effect on mantle color. However, clam progeny with clade E1 zooxanthellae were smaller than progeny with the other four zooxanthella clades (A3, B1, C1, and D1). Survival rate was over 90% for all progeny and there were no significant differences in survival between progeny with Symbiodinium clades A–E during the entire culture process. Two-way ANOVA analysis revealed that giant clam species was the main factor influencing progeny growth, with some variation in growth attributable to zooxanthella type. Our results provide new information on both the symbiotic relationship between giant clams and zooxanthellae and the mantle coloration of giant clams, and will be useful in giant clam seed production and aquaculture.

Three pairs of new spirocyclic alkaloid enantiomers eurotinoids A–C (1–3), as well as a known biogenetically related racemate dihydrocryptoechinulin D (4) were isolated from a marine-derived fungus Eurotium sp. SCSIO F452. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 1 and 2 represent the first two “meta” products from a non-stereoselective [4 + 2] Diels-Alder cycloaddition presumably between an enone group of a diketopiperazine alkaloid and a diene group of a benzaldehyde derivative via a new head-to-tail coupling mode biosynthetically, while 3 and 4 were “ortho” products. Their enantiomers exhibited different antioxidative and cytotoxic activities. The modes of action were investigated by a preliminary molecular docking study.

Seagrasses in coral reef ecosystems play important ecological roles by enhancing coral reef resilience under ocean acidification. However, seagrass primary productivity is typically constrained by limited nitrogen availability. Ammonia oxidation is an important process conducted by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), yet little information is available concerning the community structure and potential activity of seagrass AOA and AOB. Therefore, this study investigated the variations in the abundance, diversity and transcriptional activity of AOA and AOB at the DNA and transcript level from four sample types: the leaf, root, rhizosphere sediment and bulk sediment of seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in three coral reef ecosystems. DNA and complementary DNA (cDNA) were used to prepare clone libraries and DNA and cDNA quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays, targeting the ammonia monooxygenase-subunit (amoA) genes as biomarkers. Our results indicated that the closest relatives of the obtained archaeal and bacterial amoA gene sequences recovered from DNA and cDNA libraries mainly originated from the marine environment. Moreover, all the obtained AOB sequences belong to the Nitrosomonadales cluster. Nearly all the AOA communities exhibited higher diversity than the AOB communities at the DNA level, but the qPCR data demonstrated that the abundances of AOB communities were higher than that of AOA communities based on both DNA and RNA transcripts. Collectively, most of the samples shared greater community composition similarity with samples from the same location rather than sample type. Furthermore, the abundance of archaeal amoA gene in rhizosphere sediments showed significant relationships with the ammonium concentration of sediments and the nitrogen content of plant tissue (leaf and root) at the DNA level (P < 0.05). Conversely, no such relationships were found for the AOB communities. This work provides new insight into the nitrogen cycle, particularly nitrification of seagrass meadows in coral reef ecosystems.

A novel method using ethanol was proposed for extracting lipids from wet microalga Picochlorum sp. at room temperature and pressure. In this study, Central Composite design (CCD) was applied to investigate the optimum conditions of lipid extraction. The results revealed that the solvent to biomass ratio had the largest effect on lipid extraction efficiency, followed by extraction time and temperature. A high lipid extraction yield (33.04% of the dry weight) was obtained under the following extraction conditions: 5 mL solvents per gram of wet biomass for 37 min with gentle stirring at room temperature. The extraction yield was comparable to that obtained by the widely used Bligh-Dyer method. Furthermore, no significant differences in the distribution of lipid classes and fatty acid composition were observed according to different extraction methods. In conclusion, these results indicated that the proposed procedure using ethanol could extract lipids from wet biomass efficiently and had giant potential for lipid extraction at large scale.

Lipid production is an important indicator for assessing microalgal species for biodiesel production. In this work, the effects of medium composition on lipid production by Scenedesmus sp. were investigated using the response surface methodology. The results of a Plackett–Burman design experiment revealed that NaHCO3, NaH2PO4·2H2O and NaNO3 were three factors significantly influencing lipid production, which were further optimized by a Box–Behnken design. The optimal medium was found to contain 3.07 g L−1 NaHCO3, 15.49 mg L−1 NaH2PO4·2H2O and 803.21 mg L−1 NaNO3. Using the optimal conditions previously determined, the lipid production (304.02 mg·L−1) increased 54.64% more than that using the initial medium, which agreed well with the predicted value 309.50 mg L−1. Additionally, lipid analysis found that palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1) dominantly constituted the algal fatty acids (about 60% of the total fatty acids) and a much higher content of neutral lipid accounted for 82.32% of total lipids, which strongly proved that Scenedesmus sp. is a very promising feedstock for biodiesel production.

A new prenylated flavon-4-ol with a modified ring A, which we have named pongaflavanol (1), was isolated from the stem bark of Pongamia pinnata along with the known compound tunicatachalcone (2). The structure of compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data.

For identifying the synergistic compounds from Pongamia pinnata, an approach based on high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) combined with isobolographic analysis was designed to detect the synergistic effects in the complex mixture [...]

Algae mostly occur either as unicellular (microalgae) or multicellular (macroalgae) species, both being uninucleate. There are important exceptions, however, as some unicellular algae are multinucleate and macroscopic, some of which inhabit tropical seas and contribute to biocalcification and coral reef robustness. The evolutionary mechanisms and ecological significance of multinucleation and associated traits (e.g., rapid wound healing) are poorly understood. Here, we report the genome of Halimeda opuntia, a giant multinucleate unicellular chlorophyte characterized by interutricular calcification. We achieve a high-quality genome assembly that shows segregation into four subgenomes, with evidence for polyploidization concomitant with historical sea level and climate changes. We further find myosin VIII missing in H. opuntia and three other unicellular multinucleate chlorophytes, suggesting a potential mechanism that may underpin multinucleation. Genome analysis provides clues about how the unicellular alga could survive fragmentation and regenerate, as well as potential signatures for extracellular calcification and the coupling of calcification with photosynthesis. In addition, proteomic alkalinity shifts were found to potentially confer plasticity of H. opuntia to ocean acidification (OA). Our study provides crucial genetic information necessary for understanding multinucleation, cell regeneration, plasticity to OA, and different modes of calcification in algae and other organisms, which has important implications in reef conservation and bioengineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]