Chromatic adaptation in marine Synechococcus strains - PubMed (original) (raw)

Chromatic adaptation in marine Synechococcus strains

B Palenik. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2001 Feb.

Abstract

Characterization of two genetically distinct groups of marine Synechococcus sp. strains shows that one, but not the other, increases its phycourobilin/phycoerythrobilin chromophore ratio when growing in blue light. This ability of at least some marine Synechococcus strains to chromatically adapt may help explain their greater abundance in particular ocean environments than cyanobacteria of the genus Prochlorococcus.

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Figures

FIG. 1

FIG. 1

Fluorescence excitation spectra (emission at 570 nm) for Synechococcus strain CC9311 culture grown under white (thin line) or blue (thick line) light. The ratio of the two chromophores changes under different light conditions.

FIG. 2

FIG. 2

Kinetics of adaptation of the PUB/PEB ratio (Ex 495:545) after transfer of a Synechococcus strain CC9311 culture from blue light to green light. Green light was chosen to see if cells would reach a PUB/PEB ratio lower than 0.7. Cells adapted more slowly than was predicted by a simple dilution model in which existing phycoerythrin with the original PUB/PEB ratio was diluted with newly synthesized phycoerythrin that had the final PUB/PEB ratio.

FIG. 3

FIG. 3

Phylogenetic tree of marine Synechococcus isolates based on sequence data from a 612-bp fragment of RNA polymerase (rpoCl). CA indicates chromatic adaptation (an increased PUB/PEB ratio) in blue light relative to white light conditions. NCA indicates no chromatic adaptation. The tree suggests that some but not all clades of marine Synechococcus may have evolved or maintained the ability to chromatically adapt in order to better compete in changing environmental conditions. Numbers at the nodes are the numbers of times out of 100 bootstrap trees that the taxa grouped together.

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