Transcriptional response of Prochlorococcus to co-culture with a marine Alteromonas: differences between strains and the involvement of putative infochemicals.

ABSTRACT: Interactions between marine microorganisms may determine the dynamics of microbial communities. Here, we show that two strains of the globally abundant marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, MED4 and MIT9313, which belong to two different ecotypes, differ markedly in their response to co-culture with a marine heterotrophic bacterium, Alteromonas macleodii strain HOT1A3. HOT1A3 enhanced the growth of MIT9313 at low cell densities, yet inhibited it at a higher concentration, whereas it had no effect on MED4 growth. The early transcriptomic responses of Prochlorococcus cells after 20 h in co-culture showed no evidence of nutrient starvation, whereas the expression of genes involved in photosynthesis, protein synthesis and stress responses typically decreased in MED4 and increased in MIT313. D

SUBMITTER: Aharonovich D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5148192 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature