Cloning and sequencing of the phycocyanin gene from Spirulina maxima and its evolutionary analysis (vol 14, pg 307, 2002)

The geneswere cloned for the two apoprotein subunits, alpha and beta, of phycocyanin from the cyanobacterium Spirulina maxima (=Arthrospira maxima) strain F3. The alpha- and beta-subunit gene-coding regions contain 489 bp and 519 bp, respectively. The beta-subunit gene is upstream from the alpha-subunit gene, with a 111-bp segment separating them. Similarities between the alpha-subunits of S. maxima and nine other cyanobacteria were between 58% and 99%, as were those between the beta-subunits. The maximum similarity between the alpha- and beta-subunits from S. maxima was 27%.

Apparent metabolizable energy from microalgae spirulina maxima for broiler chickens.

2016

Broiler chicken ileal apparent digestibility of calcium and phosphorus from microalgae spirulina maxima.

2016

Aplicabilidade da alga cianofícea Spirulina maxima como ingrediente em petfood: avaliação de ação antioxidante e imunológica em cães

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mutagenic potential of Cordia ecalyculata alone and in association with Spirulina maxima for their evaluation as candidate anti-obesity drugs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Utilización de espirulina (Spirulina maxima) en la alimentación de alevinos de trucha arco Iris (Oncorhynchus mikyss)

Tesis (Zootecnista). -- Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Programa de Zootecnia, 2014

藻胆体的光谱特性和光能传递

一，螺旋藻藻胆体光谱特性及其光能传递的研究 1，完整藻胆体与解离藻胆体吸收光谱的比较研究 对螺旋藻完整藻胆体和解离藻胆体的吸收光谱中进行了比较研究。随着PBS逐渐解离，其吸收光谱表现出如下变化特点：在紫外区，吸收峰始终位于355nm，尖形峰逐渐变成钝形峰;在红区，完整藻胆体和解离藻胆体都有很强的光吸收，吸收峰呈平顶状，其半带宽逐渐变小，紫外区与红区相对吸收强度比值逐渐变小，四组导数吸收光谱中的小峰数目越来越少。室温荧光发射光谱表明，PBS在低于0.9mol/L的磷酸缓冲液中变得不稳定，并开始逐渐解离，解离的PBS与完整的PBS相比，其荧光发射峰逐渐蓝移。 2，藻胆体在解离过程中荧光发射和光能传递的研究 完整藻胆体的室温荧光发射光谱中只有一个峰，在678nm。说明在完整藻胆体中，光能传递效率高。在77K荧光发射光谱中，完整藻胆体只有一个峰，位于682nm，这是L_(cm)(TE_1)的荧光峰;严重解离的藻胆体的主峰在656nm，是PC的荧光;在679nm有一个小峰，是APC-B的荧光(TE_2)。据此，我们提出螺旋藻藻胆体的光能传递链为：(此处表从略，见全文) 二，螺旋藻藻胆体核心及其与藻蓝蛋白的重组 PC+core混合物，浓缩重组48h后，其室温荧光发射峰位于663nm，与PC的室温荧光发射峰643nm和PC+core混合物（未重组）的室温荧光发射峰648nm相比，说明部分APC与部分PC发生了重组，使部分PC吸收的光能传递给了APC，使荧光发射峰红移;与藻胆体核心室温荧光发射峰664nm相比，则非常接近，说明重组效果较好。PC+core混合物（未重组），其77K荧光发射光谱中有两个峰：654nm,679nm,分别是PC,APC-B的荧光峰，F679/F654的比值为32.0%。我们以F679/F654比值的变化来判断PC与core是否发生了重组。PC+core混合物，经48h浓缩重组后，77K荧光发射光谱中有F657,F679两个峰，F679/F654的比值则为45.9%，比未重组的混合物32.0%升高了，说明部分PC与core发生了重组，部分PC吸收的光能传递给了APC和APC-B，使F679加强，F654减弱。 三，螺旋藻藻胆体一类囊体膜光谱特性与光能传递的研究 藻胆体一类囊体膜的吸收光谱，室温荧光发射光谱和77K荧光发射光谱表明：藻胆蛋白能将捕获的光能传递给叶绿素a，叶绿素a捕获的光能不能逆传给藻胆蛋白。 四，藻胆体一类囊体膜的重组 藻胆体一类囊体膜的吸收光谱说明，一部分被洗下来的PBS能重新结合到类囊体膜上，但并没有达到100%的重组。 五，整体螺旋藻光谱特性及其光能传递的研究 整体螺旋藻光谱特性与PBS-类囊体膜的光谱特性极为相似，表现出同样的规律：PBS的吸收面积与叶绿素a相比，叶绿素a的吸收是主要的。 从PBS-类囊体膜和整体螺旋藻的吸收光谱，室温荧光发射光谱，77K荧光发射光谱的研究中可知，二者表现出极为相似的规律：PBS藻胆蛋白捕获的光能能传递给叶绿素a，叶绿素a捕获的光能不能逆传给PBS藻胆蛋白。主要的捕光物质是叶绿素a。 另外，我们还对Spirulina platensis 6 and Spirulina maxima的藻胆体在解离过程中的荧光发射和光能传递进行了研究，表现规律与Spirulina platensis相同。

Lysis of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (Cyanobacterium) by a bacterium Bacillus cereus

A phytoplankton-lytic (PL) bacterium, Bacillus cereus, capable of lysing the bloom-forming cyanobacterium. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was isolated from Lake Dianchi of Yunnan province, China. This bacterium showed lytic activities against a wide range of cyanobacteria/algae, including A. flos-aquae, Microcystis viridis, Microcystis wesenbergi, Microcystis aeruginosa, Chlorella ellipsoidea, Oscillatoria tenuis, Nostoc punctiforme, Anabaena flos-aquae, Spirulina maxima, and Selenastrum capricornutum. Chlorophyll a contents, phycocyanin contents, and photosynthetic activities of the A. flos-aquae decreased evidently in an infected culture for a period. Bacterium B. cereus attacked rapidly A. flos-aquae cells by cell-to-cell contact mechanism. It was shown that the lysis of A. flos-aquae began with the breach of the cyanobacterial cell wall, and the cyanobacterial cell appeared abnormal in the presence of the PL bacterium. Moreover, transmission electron microscope examinations revealed that a close contact between the bacterium and the cyanobacterium was necessary for lysis. Some slime extrusions produced from B. cereus assisted the bacterial cells to be in close association with and lyse the cyanobacterial cells. These findings suggested that this bacterium could play an important role in controlling the Aphanizomenon blooms in freshwaters. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sequence analysis of Arthrospira maxima based on fosmid library

Arthrospira (Spirulina) (Setchell& Gardner) is an important cyanobacterium not only in its nutritional potential but in its special biological characteristics. An unbiased fosmid library of Arthrospira maxima FACHB438 that contains 4300 clones was constructed. The size distribution of insert fragments is from 15.5 to 48.9 kb and the average size is 37.6 kb. The recombination frequency is 100%. Therefore the library is 29.9 equivalents to the Arthrospira genome size of 5.4 Mb. A total of 719 sample clones were randomly chosen from the library and 602 available sequences, which consisted of 307,547 bases, covering 5.70% of the whole genome. The codon usage of A. maxima was not strongly biased. GC content at the first position of codons (46.9%) was higher than the second (39.8%) and the third (45.5%) positions. GC content of the genome was 43.6%. Of these sequences, 287 (47.7%) showed high similarities to known genes, 63 (10.5%) to hypothetical genes and the remaining 252 (41.8%) had no significant similarities. The assigned genes were classified into 22 categories with respect to different biological roles. Remarkably, the high presence of 25 sequences (4.2%) encoding reverse transcriptase indicates the RT gene may have multiple copies in the A. maxima genome and might play an important role in the evolutionary history and metabolic regulation. In addition, the sequences encoding the ATP-binding cassette transport system and the two-component signal transduction system were the second and third most frequent genes, respectively. These genomic features provide some clues as to the mechanisms by which this organism adapts to the high concentration of bicarbonate and to the high pH environment.

Kinetic and thermodynamic investigation of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis fed-batch cultivation in a tubular photobioreactor using urea as nitrogen source

BACKGROUND: Fed-batch culture allows the cultivation of Arthrospira platensis using urea as nitrogen source. Tubular photobioreactors substantially increase cell growth, but the successful use of this cheap nitrogen source requires a knowledge of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the process. This work aims at identifying the effect of two independent variables, temperature (T) and urea daily molar flow-rate (U), on cell growth, biomass composition and thermodynamic parameters involved in this photosynthetic cultivation. RESULTS: The optimal values obtained were T = 32 degrees C and U = 1.16 mmol L-1 d-1, under which the maximum cell concentration was 4186 +/- 39 mg L-1, cell productivity 541 +/- 5 mg L-1 d-1 and yield of biomass on nitrogen 14.3 +/- 0.1 mg mg-1. Applying an Arrhenius-type approach, the thermodynamic parameters of growth (?H* = 98.2 kJ mol-1; ?S* = - 0.020 kJ mol-1 K-1; ?G* = 104.1 kJ mol-1) and its thermal inactivation (Delta H-D(0) =168.9 kJ mol-1; Delta S-D(0) = 0.459 kJ mol-1 K-1; Delta G(D)(0) =31.98 kJ mol-1) were estimated. CONCLUSIONS: To maximize cell growth T and U were simultaneously optimized. Biomass lipid content was not influenced by the experimental conditions, while protein content was dependent on both independent variables. Using urea as nitrogen source prevented the inhibitory effect already observed with ammonium salts. Copyright (c) 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

Investigation of molecular mechanisms regulating biomineralization of pearl oyster Pinctada maxima

Biomineralization is a process encompassing all mineral containing tissues produced within an organism. The most dynamic example of this process is the formation of the mollusk shell, comprising a variety of crystal phases and microstructures. The organic component incorporated within the shell is said to dictate this remarkable architecture. Subsequently, for the past decade considerable research have been undertaken to identify and characterize the protein components involved in biomineralization. Despite these efforts the general understanding of the process remains ambiguous. This study employs a novel molecular approach to further the elucidation of the shell biomineralization. A microarray platform has been custom generated (PmaxArray 1.0) from the pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. PmaxArray 1.0 consists of 4992 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) originating from the mantle, an organ involved in shell formation. This microarray has been used as the primary tool for three separate investigations in an effort to associate transcriptional gene expression from P. maxima to the process of shell biomineralization. The first investigation analyzes the spatial expression of ESTs throughout the mantle organ. The mantle was dissected into five discrete regions and each analyzed for gene expression with PmaxArray 1.0. Over 2000 ESTs were differentially expressed among the tissue sections, identifying five major expression regions. Three of these regions have been proposed to have shell formation functions belonging to nacre, prismatic calcite and periostracum. The spatial gene expression map was confirmed by in situ hybridization, localizing a subset of ESTs from each expression region to the same mantle area. Comparative sequence analysis of ESTs expressed in the proposed shell formation regions with the BLAST tool, revealed a number of the transcripts were novel while others showed significant sequence similarities to previously characterized shell formation genes. The second investigation correlates temporal EST expression during P. maxima larval ontogeny with transitions in shell mineralization during the same period. A timeline documenting the morphologicat microstructural and mineralogical shell characteristics of P. maxima throughout larval ontogeny has been established. Three different shell types were noted based on the physical characters and termed, prodissoconch I, prodissoconch 11 and dissoconch. PmaxArray 1.0 analyzed ESTs expression of animals throughout the larval development of P. maxima, noting up-regulation of 359 ESTs in association with the shell transitions from prodissoconch 1 to prodissoconch 11 to dissoconch. Comparative sequence analysis of these ESTs indicates a number of the transcripts are novel as well as showing significant sequence similarities between ESTs and known shell matrix associated genes and proteins. These ESTs are discussed in relation to the shell characters associated with their temporal expression. The third investigation uses PmaxArray 1.0 to analyze gene expression in the mantle tissue of P. maxima specimens exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of a shell-deforming toxin, tributyltin (TBT). The shell specific effects of TBT are used in this investigation to interpret differential expression of ESTs with respect to shell formation functions. A lethal and sublethal TBT concentration range was established for P. maxima, noting a concentration of 50 ng L- 1 TBT as sub-lethal over a 21 day period. Mantle tissue from P. maxima animals treated with 50 ng L- 1 TBT was assessed for differential EST expression with untreated control animals. A total of 102 ESTs were identified as differentially expressed in association with TBT exposure, comparative sequence identities included an up-regulation of immunity and detoxification related genes and down-regulation of several shell matrix genes. A number of transcripts encoding novel peptides were additionally identified. The potential actions of these genes are discussed with reference to TBT toxicity and shell biomineralization. This thesis has used a microarray platform to analyze gene expression in spatial, temporal and toxicity investigations, revealing the involvement of numerous gene transcripts in specific shell formation functions. Investigation of thousands of transcripts simultaneously has provided a holistic interpretation of the organic components regulating shell biomineralization.

Spatial analysis of biomineralization associated gene expression from the mantle organ of the pearl oyster Pinctada maxima

Background: Biomineralization is a process encompassing all mineral containing tissues produced within an organism. One of the most dynamic examples of this process is the formation of the mollusk shell, comprising a variety of crystal phases and microstructures. The organic component incorporated within the shell is said to dictate this architecture. However general understanding of how this process is achieved remains ambiguous. The mantle is a conserved organ involved in shell formation throughout molluscs. Specifically the mantle is thought to be responsible for secreting the protein component of the shell. This study employs molecular approaches to determine the spatial expression of genes within the mantle tissue to further the elucidation of the shell biomineralization. Results: A microarray platform was custom generated (PmaxArray 1.0) from the pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. PmaxArray 1.0 consists of 4992 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) originating from mantle tissue. This microarray was used to analyze the spatial expression of ESTs throughout the mantle organ. The mantle was dissected into five discrete regions and analyzed for differential gene expression with PmaxArray 1.0. Over 2000 ESTs were determined to be differentially expressed among the tissue sections, identifying five major expression regions. In situ hybridization validated and further localized the expression for a subset of these ESTs. Comparative sequence similarity analysis of these ESTs revealed a number of the transcripts were novel while others showed significant sequence similarities to previously characterized shell related genes.

Temporal tracking of mineralization and transcriptional developments of shell formation during the early life history of pearl oyster Pinctada maxima

Molluscan larval ontogeny is a highly conserved process comprising three principal developmental stages. A characteristic unique to each of these stages is shell design, termed prodissoconch I, prodissoconch II and dissoconch. These shells vary in morphology, mineralogy and microstructure. The discrete temporal transitions in shell biomineralization between these larval stages are utilized in this study to investigate transcriptional involvement in several distinct biomineralization events. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of P. maxima larvae and juveniles collected throughout post-embryonic ontogenesis, document the mineralogy and microstructure of each shelled stage as well as establishing a timeline for transitions in biomineralization. P. maxima larval samples most representative of these biomineralization distinctions and transitions were analyzed for differential gene expression on the microarray platform PmaxArray 1.0. A number of transcripts are reported as differentially expressed in correlation to the mineralization events of P. maxima larval ontogeny. Some of those isolated are known shell matrix genes while others are novel; these are discussed in relation to potential shell formation roles. This interdisciplinary investigation has linked the shell developments of P. maxima larval ontogeny with corresponding gene expression profiles, furthering the elucidation of shell biomineralization.