Comparative metagenomics of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater reservoirs from Pernambuco State

• Grant number: 13/15296-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2014
• End date: April 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Adriana Sturion Lorenzi
• Grantee: Adriana Sturion Lorenzi
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Maria Do Carmo Bittencourt de Oliveira
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/07537-8 - Molecular potential for the biosynthesis of protease inhibitors in cyanobacteria of the genus Microcystis and toxicity evaluation, BP.IC; 16/07414-3 - Molecular evaluation for the potential of saxitoxins (neurotoxins) production in cyanobacteria of the genera Cylindrospermopsis and Geitlerinema, BP.IC; 14/24066-3 - Molecular investigation of genes involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds by cyanobacterial strains isolated from the Brazilian semi-arid region, BP.IC; 14/01913-2 - Comparative Metagenomics of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater reservoirs from Pernambuco State, BP.JP

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are relevant components of phytoplankton and can be found in a large number of Brazilian reservoirs. Some species can produce potent toxins (eg.: microcystins, saxitoxin, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin, among others) with distinct biological activities. Especially in eutrophic environments, these microorganisms can present a rapid growth, a phenomenon known as bloom, which can affect the quality of drinking water and recreation. In northeastern Brazil, the bloom problem is powered by water regime, with intense periods of drought, a condition that requires a large number of reservoirs and long period of residence, favoring its occurrence. Due to the lack of molecular estudies in northeastern reservoirs, this proposal aim to evaluate the cyanobacterial metagenomic structure from blooms in Ingazeira and Mundaú reservoirs, regarding their potencil for cyanotoxin production, based on culture-independent methods. This study also aims to complement the work already undertaken in these environments and, thus, the samples are already available for analysis. PCR products will be obtained by PCR amplification (Polymerase Chain Reaction) from both 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ITS) and cpcBA-IGS region of phycocyanin (PC) operon using genomic DNA. The toxicological potential of the blooms will be assessed by amplification of genes involved in the biosynthesis of microcystin (mcyE gene), saxitoxins (sxtA gene), and cylindrospermopsins (cyrJ gene). The amplicons will be purified and used for metagenomic sequencing by Illumina MiSeq system. The sequences produced will be compared by BLAST analysis (NCBI) and their evolutionary relationships will be established by the construction of phylogenetic trees. The cyanotoxins production will be verified by HPLC. This proposal represents the first metagenomic study of cyanobacteria in Brazilian reservoirs, and aims to generate innovative studies on molecular ecology at the Laboratory of Cyanobacteria from ESALQ/USP, introducing a new approach. The project will run for two years and establish a close collaboration with the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, where taxonomic studies and floristic analysis about cyanobacterial occurrence in Pernambuco State were already done. This project will enable the publication of scientific articles focused on cyanobacterial molecular ecology and public health. (AU)

Scientific publications

(9)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; SILVA, GENIVALDO GUEIROS Z.; CARDOSO LOPES, FABYANO ALVARES; CHIA, MATHIAS AHII; EDWARDS, ROBERT A.; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA CARMO. Draft Genome Sequence of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria) Strain ITEP-A1 Isolated from a Brazilian Semiarid Freshwater Body: Evidence of Saxitoxin and Cylindrospermopsin Synthetase Genes. MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS, v. 4, n. 3, MAY-JUN 2016. (13/15296-2)

CHIA, MATHIAS AHII; CORDEIRO-ARAUJO, MICHELINE KEZIA; LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO. Cylindrospermopsin induced changes in growth, toxin production and antioxidant response of Acutodesmus acuminatus and Microcystis aeruginosa under differing light and nitrogen conditions. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, v. 142, p. 189-199, AUG 2017. (13/11306-3, 13/15296-2, 15/17397-6, 14/26898-6, 14/01934-0)

CHIA, MATHIAS AHII; CORDEIRO-ARAUJO, MICHELINE KEZIA; LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO. Does anatoxin-a influence the physiology of Microcystis aeruginosa and Acutodesmus acuminatus under different light and nitrogen conditions?. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 23, n. 22, p. 23092-23102, NOV 2016. (13/11306-3, 14/26898-6, 14/01934-0, 13/15296-2)

KADIRI, MEDINA O.; ISAGBA, SOLOMON; OGBEBOR, JEFFREY U.; OMORUYI, OSASERE A.; UNUSIOTAME-OWOLAGBA, TIMOTHY E.; LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO; CHIA, MATHIAS AHII. The presence of microcystins in the coastal waters of Nigeria, from the Bights of Bonny and Benin, Gulf of Guinea. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 27, n. 28, p. 10-pg., 2020-06-26. (13/15296-2, 13/11306-3, 14/01913-2, 14/26898-6)

KADIRI, MEDINA O.; ISAGBA, SOLOMON; OGBEBOR, JEFFREY U.; OMORUYI, OSASERE A.; UNUSIOTAME-OWOLAGBA, TIMOTHY E.; LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO; CHIA, MATHIAS AHII. The presence of microcystins in the coastal waters of Nigeria, from the Bights of Bonny and Benin, Gulf of Guinea. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 27, n. 28, SI, JUN 2020. (14/26898-6, 13/15296-2, 13/11306-3, 14/01913-2)

CORDEIRO-ARAUJO, MICHELINE KEZIA; LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; CHIA, MATHIAS AHII; MOTA, ELIANE CHRISTINA; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO. nsights into the impact of increasing temperature, light intensity, and UV-B exposure on the circadian rhythm of microcystin production and release, and the expression of mcy genes in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginos. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYCOLOGY, v. 34, n. 1, NOV 2021. (13/15296-2, 17/15769-9, 15/17397-6, 14/01913-2)

LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; CHIA, MATHIAS AHII; CARDOSO LOPES, FABYANO ALVARES; SILVA, GENIVALDO GUEIROS Z.; EDWARDS, ROBERT A.; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO. Cyanobacterial biodiversity of semiarid public drinking water supply reservoirs assessed via next-generation DNA sequencing technology. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, v. 57, n. 6, p. 450-460, JUN 2019. (13/11306-3, 14/01913-2, 13/15296-2)

LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; BONATELLI, MARIA LETICIA; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.; QUECINE, MARIA CAROLINA; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO. Draft genome sequence of the cyanobacterium Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides BCCUSP55 from the Brazilian semiarid region reveals potential for anti-cancer applications. Archives of Microbiology, v. 204, n. 1, JAN 2022. (13/15296-2)

LORENZI, ADRIANA STURION; SILVA, GENIVALDO GUEIROS Z.; CARDOSO LOPES, FABYANO ALVARES; CHIA, MATHIAS AHII; EDWARDS, ROBERT A.; BITTENCOURT-OLIVEIRA, MARIA CARMO. Draft Genome Sequence of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria) Strain ITEP-A1 Isolated from a Brazilian Semiarid Freshwater Body: Evidence of Saxitoxin and Cylindrospermopsin Synthetase Genes. GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS, v. 4, n. 3, p. 2-pg., 2016-05-01. (13/15296-2)