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Proteomic analysis of Microcystis aeruginosa in response to nitrogen and phosphorus starvation

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Abstract

We investigated the proteomic and physiological responses of the bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, to nitrogen (N) starvation, phosphorus (P) starvation, and the simultaneous starvation of N and P. Our results suggested that M. aeruginosa could maintain nearly normal growth under P starvation for at least 7 days, whereas N deficiency significantly decreased M. aeruginosa growth. Orange carotenoid-binding proteins, metallothionein, and several conserved exported hypothetical proteins were found differentially regulated with a similar manner responding to N starvation and P starvation, indicating general stress response roles for these proteins. Upon N starvation, the expression of several proteins involved in cellular carbon metabolism and carbon fixation was enhanced, which may enable their effective reuse of cellular substrates and accumulate glycogen for long-term survival. Upon P starvation, several proteins relating to protein synthesis and the assimilation of carbon and N were downregulated, suggesting a general reduction in the cell’s metabolic rate, which could save energy and reducing power to maintain the basal growth. Though M. aeruginosa growth was significantly reduced when both N and P were unavailable, very limited significant changes in the proteomic composition were identified.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Chen-rui Hou from Shanghai Applied Protein Technology Co., Ltd. for technical assistance. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments on this work. This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program (973) of China (No. 2008CB418003), the National Special Program of Water Environment (2012ZX07101006), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41071313).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People’s Republic of China

    Dongmei Yue, Yuke Peng, Qian Yin & Lin Xiao

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  1. Dongmei Yue
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  2. Yuke Peng
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  3. Qian Yin
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  4. Lin Xiao
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Correspondence to Lin Xiao.

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Yue, D., Peng, Y., Yin, Q. et al. Proteomic analysis of Microcystis aeruginosa in response to nitrogen and phosphorus starvation. J Appl Phycol 27, 1195–1204 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0405-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0405-4

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