A closely-related clade of globally distributed bloom-forming cyanobacteria within the Nostocales

Connor B Driscoll; Kevin A Meyer; Sigitas Šulčius; Nathan M Brown; Gregory J Dick; Huansheng Cao; Giedrius Gasiūnas; Albertas Timinskas; Yanbin Yin; Zachary C Landry; Timothy G Otten; Timothy W Davis; Susan B Watson; Theo W Dreher

doi:10.1016/j.hal.2018.05.009

A closely-related clade of globally distributed bloom-forming cyanobacteria within the Nostocales

Harmful Algae. 2018 Jul:77:93-107. doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2018.05.009. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 226 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
² Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, USA; Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, USA.
³ Laboratory of Algology and Microbial Ecology, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412, Vilnius, Lithuania.
⁴ Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, USA.
⁵ Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, 427 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
⁶ Department of Protein-DNA Interactions, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257, Vilnius, Lithuania.
⁷ Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania.
⁸ Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.
⁹ Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43402, USA.
¹⁰ Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada.
¹¹ Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 226 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA; Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. Electronic address: theo.dreher@oregonstate.edu.

PMID: 30005805
DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2018.05.009

Abstract

In order to better understand the relationships among current Nostocales cyanobacterial blooms, eight genomes were sequenced from cultured isolates or from environmental metagenomes of recent planktonic Nostocales blooms. Phylogenomic analysis of publicly available sequences placed the new genomes among a group of 15 genomes from four continents in a distinct ADA clade (Anabaena/Dolichospermum/Aphanizomenon) within the Nostocales. This clade contains four species-level groups, two of which include members with both Anabaena-like and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae-like morphology. The genomes contain many repetitive genetic elements and a sizable pangenome, in which ABC-type transporters are highly represented. Alongside common core genes for photosynthesis, the differentiation of N₂-fixing heterocysts, and the uptake and incorporation of the major nutrients P, N and S, we identified several gene pathways in the pangenome that may contribute to niche partitioning. Genes for problematic secondary metabolites-cyanotoxins and taste-and-odor compounds-were sporadically present, as were other polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene clusters. By contrast, genes predicted to encode the ribosomally generated bacteriocin peptides were found in all genomes.

Keywords: Filamentous cyanobacteria; Genomics; Metagenomics.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Bacterial Proteins / analysis
Cyanobacteria / classification*
Cyanobacteria / genetics
Genome, Bacterial*
Harmful Algal Bloom
Phylogeny

Substances

Bacterial Proteins