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Salinity-induced oxidative stress-mediated change in fatty acids composition of cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942

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Abstract

The present study was undertaken to examine the salinity stress-induced physiological and biochemical alterations in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. Cyanobacterial cultures supplemented with different concentrations of NaCl were evaluated for growth, carbohydrate, total lipid, ROS generation, and stress biomarkers to evaluate the ROS-mediated lipid production in Synechococcus 7942. Salt concentration of 500 mM induced a five- and threefold increase in the production of carbohydrates and lipids, respectively. The fatty acids composition in terms of total quantity and oleic acid content of the investigated species was also improved as the salinity level increased from 0 to 500 mM NaCl. The data showed maximum MUFA production at 10 mM NaCl with dominance of palmitoleic acid (88.3%) and oleic acid (0.31%), whereas PUFA was found to be maximally produced at 250 mM NaCl with dominance of linoleic acid. Salt stress enhanced the accumulation of carbohydrate and total lipids and antioxidative enzymes, and modulates the fatty acids and hydrocarbon composition of cyanobacterium. Production of fatty acid and hydrocarbon under saline conditions indicates that salinity can be used as a factor to modulate the biochemical pathways of cyanobacteria toward efficient biofuel production.

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Abbreviations

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

CAT:

Catalase

CH:

Cyclic hydrocarbon

FAMEs:

Fatty acid methyl esters

GC/MS:

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid

SH:

Saturated hydrocarbon

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

USH:

Unsaturated hydrocarbon

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Head, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, for providing laboratory facilities. We thank Prof. Karl Forchhammer, Department of Organismic Interactions (Microbiology), Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection, Auf der Morgenstelle, 2872076, University of Tübingen, Germany, for providing Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 strain. Two of us (Ekta Verma and Niveshika) are thankful to the UGC, New Delhi, for financial support in the form of JRF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Microbial Genetics, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    E. Verma, S. Singh,  Niveshika & A. K. Mishra

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  1. E. Verma
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  2. S. Singh
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  3. Niveshika
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  4. A. K. Mishra
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Correspondence to A. K. Mishra.

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Editorial responsibility: Rupali Datta.

Electronic supplementary material

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Fig. S1.

Growth of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. in terms of dry weight (TIFF 642 kb)

Figure S2

DCF fluorescence-based G/R ratio of Synechococcus sp. obtained from fluorescence microscopic analysis under NaCl stress (TIFF 625 kb)

Figure S3.

GC/MS Chromatograms of control, 10, 50, 100, 250 and 500 mM NaCl-treated cyanobacterial cells (Fig. 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, respectively) (EPS 3134 kb)

Supplementary material 4 (EPS 3137 kb)

Supplementary material 5 (EPS 3135 kb)

Supplementary material 6 (EPS 3130 kb)

Supplementary material 7 (EPS 3130 kb)

Supplementary material 8 (EPS 3133 kb)

Supplementary material 9 (DOCX 663 kb)

Supplementary material 10 (DOCX 580 kb)

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Verma, E., Singh, S., Niveshika et al. Salinity-induced oxidative stress-mediated change in fatty acids composition of cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 875–886 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1720-0

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