Assessment of the functional diversity and bioprospection of genes involved in degradation of hydrocarbons and transformation of heavy metals in mangrove sediments

• Grant number: 12/16850-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Valeria Maia Merzel
• Grantee: Lucélia Cabral
• Host Institution: Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas (CPQBA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Paulínia , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 13/20670-0 - Assessment of the functional diversity and bioprospection of genes involved in degradation of hydrocarbons and transformation of heavy metals in mangrove sediments, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Brazil holds one of the largest mangroves extensions in the world, an ecosystem very rich in biodiversity, including aquatic animals, birds, reptiles, mammals and microorganisms. In Brazil, mangroves are areas of permanent environmental protection. Despite this, mangroves have been highly exposed to antropic activities, including oil spill and industrial wastes that carry heavy metals. Microorganisms found in the environment can adapt to the presence of pollutants and develop survival mechanisms. In spite of the great diversity and of the relevance of the microorganisms found in mangroves, no research has been carried out about this subject in Brazil. Although improvements in the in vitro techniques to recover microorganisms from these sites have been made, a high number of microorganisms were not recovered yet and, thus, the knowledge of the mangrove microbiota remains still incipient. In this context, the current project aims to employ a metatranscriptomics approach based on the direct extraction of the total RNA of the microbial community present in environmental samples, allied to construction of DNA complementary libraries (cDNA), following their analysis. This approach will be used to investigate the presence and biodiversity of metabolically active genes of great relevance for decontamination of impacted areas. These studies can lead to the discovery of novel genes involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons and in the transformation of heavy metals, which in turns, may have a potential application in biotechnological processes and to generate knowledge about the functional and phylogenetic diversity of the microbiota found in Brazilian mangroves.

Scientific publications

(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)

CABRAL, LUCELIA; NORONHA, MELLINE FONTES; PEREIRA DE SOUSA, SANDERSON TARCISO; LACERDA-JUNIOR, GILENO VIEIRA; RICHTER, LARISSA; FOSTIER, ANNE HELENE; ANDREOTE, FERNANDO DINI; HESS, MATTHIAS; DE OLIVEIRA, VALERIA MAIA. The metagenomic landscape of xenobiotics biodegradation in mangrove sediments. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, v. 179, p. 232-240, SEP 15 2019. (13/20670-0, 12/16850-0, 12/06245-2)

CABRAL, LUCELIA; LACERDA JUNIOR, GILENO VIEIRA; PEREIRA DE SOUSA, SANDERSON TARCISO; FRANCO DIAS, ARMANDO CAVALCANTE; CADETE, LUANA LIRA; ANDREOTE, FERNANDO DINI; HESS, MATTHIAS; DE OLIVEIRA, VALERIA MAIA. Anthropogenic impact on mangrove sediments triggers differential responses in the heavy metals and antibiotic resistomes of microbial communities. Environmental Pollution, v. 216, p. 460-469, SEP 2016. (12/16850-0, 13/20670-0, 12/06245-2)

OTTONI, JULIA RONZELLA; CABRAL, LUCELIA; PEREIRA DE SOUSA, SANDERSON TARCISO; LACERDA JUNIOR, GILENO VIEIRA; DOMINGOS, DANIELA FERREIRA; SOARES JUNIOR, FABIO LINO; PINHEIRO DA SILVA, MYLENNE CALCIOLARI; MARCON, JOELMA; FRANCO DIAS, ARMANDO CAVALCANTE; DE MELO, ITAMAR SOARES; et al. Functional metagenomics of oil-impacted mangrove sediments reveals high abundance of hydrolases of biotechnological interest. WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, v. 33, n. 7, JUL 2017. (12/16850-0, 12/14534-4, 10/15519-3, 13/09386-9, 13/22555-4)