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

• Grant number: 13/20670-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Valeria Maia Merzel
• Grantee: Lucélia Cabral
• Supervisor: Matthias Hess
• Host Institution: Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas (CPQBA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Paulínia , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Washington State University (WSU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/16850-0 - Assessment of the functional diversity and bioprospection of genes involved in degradation of hydrocarbons and transformation of heavy metals in mangrove sediments, BP.PD

Abstract

Brazil holds one of the largest mangrove 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 of this, mangroves have been highly exposed to anthropic activities, including oil spill and industrial wastes that carry heavy metals. Microorganisms found in the environment can adapt to the presence of pollutants, thus developing survival mechanisms. In spite of the great diversity and relevance of the microorganisms found in mangroves, scarce research has been carried out about this subject in Brazil. Although improvements on in vitro techniques have been made to recover microorganisms from these sites, the majority of the microbial diversity in nature was not recovered yet and, thus, the knowledge of the mangrove microbiota remains incipient. In this context, the current project aims to employ a metatranscriptomics approach based on the direct extraction of the total RNA of environmental microbial community samples, allied to construction and analysis of DNA complementary libraries (cDNA). This approach will be used to investigate the presence and genetic diversity of the 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 transformation of heavy metals, which in turn may have a potential application in biotechnological processes, in addition to the generation of knowledge about the functional and phylogenetic diversity of the microbiota found in Brazilian mangroves. (AU)

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; 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)

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; PEREIRA DE SOUSA, SANDERSON TARCISO; LACERDA JUNIOR, GILENO VIEIRA; HAWLEY, ERIK; ANDREOTE, FERNANDO DINI; HESS, MATTHIAS; DE OLIVEIRA, VALERIA MAIA. Microbial functional responses to long-term anthropogenic impact in mangrove soils. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, v. 160, p. 231-239, SEP 30 2018. (13/20670-0, 12/06245-2)