Alpha-glucans from bacterial necromass indicate an intra-population loop within the marine carbon cycle

Irena Beidler, Nicola Steinke, Tim Schulze, Chandni Sidhu, Daniel Bartosik, Marie-Katherin Zühlke, Laura Torres Martin, Joris Krull, Theresa Dutschei, Borja Ferrero-Bordera, Julia Rielicke, Vaikhari Kale, Thomas Sura, Anke Trautwein-Schult, Inga V. Kirstein, Karen H. Wiltshire, Hanno Teeling, Dörte Becher, Mia Maria Bengtsson, Jan-Hendrik Hehemann, Uwe. T. Bornscheuer, Rudolf I. Amann and Thomas Schweder ()
Additional contact information
Irena Beidler: University of Greifswald
Nicola Steinke: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Tim Schulze: University of Greifswald
Chandni Sidhu: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Daniel Bartosik: University of Greifswald
Marie-Katherin Zühlke: University of Greifswald
Laura Torres Martin: University of Greifswald
Joris Krull: University of Greifswald
Theresa Dutschei: University of Greifswald
Borja Ferrero-Bordera: University of Greifswald
Julia Rielicke: University of Greifswald
Vaikhari Kale: University of Greifswald
Thomas Sura: University of Greifswald
Anke Trautwein-Schult: University of Greifswald
Inga V. Kirstein: Biologische Anstalt Helgoland
Karen H. Wiltshire: Biologische Anstalt Helgoland
Hanno Teeling: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Dörte Becher: University of Greifswald
Mia Maria Bengtsson: University of Greifswald
Jan-Hendrik Hehemann: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Uwe. T. Bornscheuer: University of Greifswald
Rudolf I. Amann: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Thomas Schweder: University of Greifswald

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Phytoplankton blooms provoke bacterioplankton blooms, from which bacterial biomass (necromass) is released via increased zooplankton grazing and viral lysis. While bacterial consumption of algal biomass during blooms is well-studied, little is known about the concurrent recycling of these substantial amounts of bacterial necromass. We demonstrate that bacterial biomass, such as bacterial alpha-glucan storage polysaccharides, generated from the consumption of algal organic matter, is reused and thus itself a major bacterial carbon source in vitro and during a diatom-dominated bloom. We highlight conserved enzymes and binding proteins of dominant bloom-responder clades that are presumably involved in the recycling of bacterial alpha-glucan by members of the bacterial community. We furthermore demonstrate that the corresponding protein machineries can be specifically induced by extracted alpha-glucan-rich bacterial polysaccharide extracts. This recycling of bacterial necromass likely constitutes a large-scale intra-population energy conservation mechanism that keeps substantial amounts of carbon in a dedicated part of the microbial loop.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48301-5

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