Iron and copper are essential elements for practically all living organisms. Their metabolism is frequently interconnected, and while copper is relatively abundant in the ocean, iron is often a limiting factor for the growth of many marine microorganisms. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the metabolisms of copper and iron and the connection of both in the marine picoalga Ostreococcus tauri. We show that O. tauri adjusts its copper economy in response to copper deficiency by downregulation of the expression of plastocyanin in favor of cytochrome c oxidase without significant changes in growth and physiology. Copper deprivation leads to increased expression of copper transporting ATPase and proteins involved in tetrapyrrole synthesis, most likely to ensure higher turnover of chlorophyll and/or heme. Elucidation of the effect of copper on the incorporation of iron into O. tauri proteins led us to identify the major iron uptake mediating protein, Ot-Fea1, whose expression and binding of iron is copper dependent. Based on our investigation of the incorporation of iron into Ot-Fea1 and ferritin, we hypothesize that O. tauri possesses another Fea1-independent iron uptake system.

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University BIOCEV Vestec Czech Republic

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org

Flow cytometry-based study of model marine microalgal consortia revealed an ecological advantage of siderophore utilization by the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae

Proximity proteomics in a marine diatom reveals a putative cell surface-to-chloroplast iron trafficking pathway

Complex Response of the Chlorarachniophyte Bigelowiella natans to Iron Availability

Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Marine Phytoplankton

Adaptive iron utilization compensates for the lack of an inducible uptake system in Naegleria fowleri and represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention