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Phosphite utilization by the marine picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus MIT9301.

Asunción Martínez1, Marcia S Osburne, Adrian K Sharma

  • 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Division of Biological Engineering Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. chon@mit.edu

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Marine microbes like Prochlorococcus can utilize phosphite, a previously unrecognized phosphorus source. This finding highlights phosphite

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Area of Science:

  • Marine microbiology
  • Biogeochemical cycles
  • Oceanography

Background:

  • Oceanic primary productivity is often limited by phosphorus (P) availability.
  • Organisms in low-phosphate environments benefit from diverse P acquisition strategies.
  • Prochlorococcus, a key marine producer, possesses P acquisition genes but its use of reduced P compounds is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate Prochlorococcus strain MIT9301's ability to utilize reduced phosphorus compounds, specifically 2-aminoethylphosphonate (2-AEPn) and phosphite.
  • To identify the mechanisms and prevalence of phosphite utilization in marine microbes.

Main Methods:

  • Culturing Prochlorococcus MIT9301 under various P conditions.
  • Assessing 2-AEPn and phosphite utilization as sole phosphorus sources.
  • Analyzing gene content for phosphite utilization pathways (e.g., ptxD).
  • Bioinformatic analysis of phosphite utilization gene abundance in marine environments.

Main Results:

  • Prochlorococcus MIT9301 could not utilize 2-AEPn as a sole P source.
  • MIT9301 successfully utilized phosphite, mediated by the phosphite dehydrogenase (ptxD) gene.
  • Phosphite utilization genes are widespread in marine microbes and more abundant in low-P waters.

Conclusions:

  • Phosphite is a viable phosphorus source for Prochlorococcus and potentially other marine microbes.
  • The ptxD gene is crucial for phosphite utilization in this organism.
  • Phosphite represents a significant, previously unrecognized component of the marine phosphorus cycle.