Comparative genomics of Brasilonema (cyanobacteria, Scytonemataceae) isolates to identify genes related to leaf infection in eucalyptus grandis

• Grant number: 15/14600-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Principal Investigator: Alessandro de Mello Varani
• Grantee: Danillo Oliveira de Alvarenga
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/01563-2 - Investigating the secondary metabolism of Brasilonema (Cyanobacteria: Scytonemataceae), BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are microorganisms that perform fundamental ecological roles in several environments, establishing mutualistic interactions with a great number of eukaryotes. On the other hand, some cyanobacteria are capable of producing molecules with toxic effects on several organisms, including plants. Brasilonema is a cyanobacterial genus recently found on the surface of mineral substrates and plants such as bromeliads, orchids, and eucalyptus. Among the species so far described in this genus, B. octagenarum stands out for acting as a leaf parasite of its host, Eucalyptus grandis, an interaction not previously observed in members of the phylum Cyanobacteria. The mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are still unknown. Thus, this research has as its objective to investigate the genomes of two Brasilonema species and to evaluate the molecular mechanisms potentially involved in E. grandis leaf infection. For this purpose, the genomes of the strains B. octagenarum UFV-E1, capable of infecting E. grandis leaves, and B. sennae CENA114, representing a non-parasitic species, will be sequenced in a high-throughput sequencing platform and compared by means of bioinformatics predictive tools. It is expected that the genomic distinction between species adapted to different niches contributes to a better comprehension of the biology of Brasilonema and, consequently, of E. grandis parasitism. (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)

ALVARENGA, DANILLO O.; FRANCO, MAIONE W.; SIVONEN, KAARINA; FIORE, MARLI F.; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.. Evaluating Eucalyptus leaf colonization by Brasilonema octagenarum (Cyanobacteria, Scytonemataceae) using in planta experiments and genomics. PeerJ, v. 8, MAY 27 2020. (13/50425-8, 15/14600-5, 18/01563-2)

ALVARENGA, DANILLO O.; FIORE, MARLI F.; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.. A Metagenomic Approach to Cyanobacterial Genomics. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 8, MAY 9 2017. (11/08092-6, 13/50425-8, 15/14600-5)