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Helliwell, Katherine Emma, Lawrence, Andrew David, Holzer, Andre, Kudahl, Ulrich Johan, Sasso, Severin, Kräutler, Bernhard, Scanlan, David John, Warren, Martin James 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6028-6456 and Smith, Alison Gail
(2016)
Cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae use different chemical variants of vitamin B12.
Current Biology, 26 (8).
pp. 999-1008.
ISSN 0960-9822
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Abstract
Eukaryotic microalgae and prokaryotic cyanobacteria are the major components of the phytoplankton. Determining factors that govern growth of these primary producers, and how they interact, is therefore essential to understanding aquatic ecosystem productivity. Over half of microalgal species representing marine and freshwater habitats require for growth the corrinoid cofactor B12, which is synthesized de novo only by certain prokaryotes, including the majority of cyanobacteria. There are several chemical variants of B12, which are not necessarily functionally interchangeable. Cobalamin, the form bioavailable to humans, has as its lower axial ligand 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB). Here, we show that the abundant marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus synthesizes only pseudocobalamin, in which the lower axial ligand is adenine. Moreover, bioinformatic searches of over 100 sequenced cyanobacterial genomes for B12 biosynthesis genes, including those involved in nucleotide loop assembly, suggest this is the form synthesized by cyanobacteria more broadly. We further demonstrate that pseudocobalamin is several orders of magnitude less bioavailable than cobalamin to several B12-dependent microalgae representing diverse lineages. This indicates that the two major phytoplankton groups use a different B12 currency. However, in an intriguing twist, some microalgal species can use pseudocobalamin if DMB is provided, suggesting that they are able to remodel the cofactor, whereas Synechococcus cannot. This species-specific attribute implicates algal remodelers as novel and keystone players of the B12 cycle, transforming our perception of the dynamics and complexity of the flux of this nutrient in aquatic ecosystems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | algae,competition,cyanobacteria,nutrient cycling,phytoplankton,pseudocobalamin,vitamin b,biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology(all),agricultural and biological sciences(all),sdg 14 - life below water,sdg 15 - life on land ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Science |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Feb 2021 00:59 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Apr 2023 20:31 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/79177 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2016.02.041 |
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