An Electron-Microscope X-Ray-Diffraction And Amino-Acid-Analysis Study Of The Opercular Filament Cuticle Calcareous Opercular Plate And Habitation Tube Of Pomatoceros Lamarckii Quatrefages (Polychaeta Serpulidae)

The structure, X-ray diffraction and amino acid compositions of the opercular filament cuticle, calcareous opercular plate and habitation tube of the polychaete serpulid, Pomatoceros lamarckii quatrefages, are reported. The opercular filament cuticle is made up of protein and chitin. The chitin is probably in the crystallographic α form. The structure and amino acid composition of the organic components of the opercular filament cuticle and calcareous opercular plate have similarities but are distinctly different from those of the calcareous habitation tube. The opercular plate and habitation tube are composed of different polymorphs of calcium carbonate, aragonite and calcite respectively. Comparisons are made with other chitin-protein systems, structural and calcified proteins.

Diel rhythmicity in amino acid uptake by Prochlorococcus

The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, the most abundant phototrophic organism on Earth, numerically dominates the phytoplankton in nitrogen (N)-depleted oceanic gyres. Alongside inorganic N sources such as nitrite and ammonium, natural populations of this genus also acquire organic N, specifically amino acids. Here, we investigated using isotopic tracer and flow cytometric cell sorting techniques whether amino acid uptake by Prochlorococcus is subject to a diel rhythmicity, and if so, whether this was linked to a specific cell cycle stage. We observed, in contrast to diurnally similar methionine uptake rates by Synechococcus cells, obvious diurnal rhythms in methionine uptake by Prochlorococcus cells in the tropical Atlantic. These rhythms were confirmed using reproducible cyclostat experiments with a light-synchronized axenic Prochlorococcus (PCC9511 strain) culture and S-35-methionine and H-3-leucine tracers. Cells acquired the tracers at lower rates around dawn and higher rates around dusk despite > 10(4) times higher concentration of ammonium in the medium, presumably because amino acids can be directly incorporated into protein. Leucine uptake rates by cells in the S+G(2) cell cycle stage were consistently 2.2 times higher than those of cells at the G(1) stage. Furthermore, S+G(2) cells upregulated amino acid uptake 3.5 times from dawn to dusk to boost protein synthesis prior to cell division. Because Prochlorococcus populations can account from 13% at midday to 42% at dusk of total microbial uptake of methionine and probably of other amino acids in N-depleted oceanic waters, this genus exerts diurnally variable, strong competitive pressure on other bacterioplankton populations.

Light enhanced amino acid uptake by dominant bacterioplankton groups in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean

35S-Methionine and 3H-leucine bioassay tracer experiments were conducted on two meridional transatlantic cruises to assess whether dominant planktonic microorganisms use visible sunlight to enhance uptake of these organic molecules at ambient concentrations. The two numerically dominant groups of oceanic bacterioplankton were Prochlorococcus cyanobacteria and bacteria with low nucleic acid (LNA) content, comprising 60% SAR11-related cells. The results of flow cytometric sorting of labelled bacterioplankton cells showed that when incubated in the light, Prochlorococcus and LNA bacteria increased their uptake of amino acids on average by 50% and 23%, respectively, compared with those incubated in the dark. Amino acid uptake of Synechococcus cyanobacteria was also enhanced by visible light, but bacteria with high nucleic acid content showed no light stimulation. Additionally, differential uptake of the two amino acids by the Prochlorococcus and LNA cells was observed. The populations of these two types of cells on average completely accounted for the determined 22% light enhancement of amino acid uptake by the total bacterioplankton community, suggesting a plausible way of harnessing light energy for selectively transporting scarce nutrients that could explain the numerical dominance of these groups in situ.