Impact of dehydration on the physiochemical properties of Nostoc calcicola BOT1 and its untargeted metabolic profiling through UHPLC-HRMS

Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini; Ashraf Atef Hatamleh; Gustavo Santoyo; Ajay Kumar; Rajan Kumar Gupta

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1147390

Impact of dehydration on the physiochemical properties of Nostoc calcicola BOT1 and its untargeted metabolic profiling through UHPLC-HRMS

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Jun 23:14:1147390. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1147390. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Priya Yadav¹, Rahul Prasad Singh¹, Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini², Ashraf Atef Hatamleh², Gustavo Santoyo³, Ajay Kumar¹, Rajan Kumar Gupta¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Algal Research, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
² Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Instituto de Investigaciones Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Mexico.

Abstract

The global population growth has led to a higher demand for food production, necessitating improvements in agricultural productivity. However, abiotic and biotic stresses pose significant challenges, reducing crop yields and impacting economic and social welfare. Drought, in particular, severely constrains agriculture, resulting in unproductive soil, reduced farmland, and jeopardized food security. Recently, the role of cyanobacteria from soil biocrusts in rehabilitating degraded land has gained attention due to their ability to enhance soil fertility and prevent erosion. The present study focused on Nostoc calcicola BOT1, an aquatic, diazotrophic cyanobacterial strain collected from an agricultural field at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. The aim was to investigate the effects of different dehydration treatments, specifically air drying (AD) and desiccator drying (DD) at various time intervals, on the physicochemical properties of N. calcicola BOT1. The impact of dehydration was assessed by analyzing the photosynthetic efficiency, pigments, biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, osmoprotectants), stress biomarkers, and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Furthermore, an analysis of the metabolic profiles of 96-hour DD and control mats was conducted using UHPLC-HRMS. Notably, there was a significant decrease in amino acid levels, while phenolic content, fatty acids, and lipids increased. These changes in metabolic activity during dehydration highlighted the presence of metabolite pools that contribute to the physiological and biochemical adjustments of N. calcicola BOT1, mitigating the impact of dehydration to some extent. Overall, present study demonstrated the accumulation of biochemical and non-enzymatic antioxidants in dehydrated mats, which could be utilized to stabilize unfavorable environmental conditions. Additionally, the strain N. calcicola BOT1 holds promise as a biofertilizer for semi-arid regions.

Keywords: Nostoc calcicola; UHPLC-HRMS; chlorophyll fluorescence; dehydration; metabolomics; osmoprotectants.

Grants and funding

Researchers supporting project number (RSP2023R479) King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.