Secondary Metabolite Mediated Control of Chlamydomonas spp. in Microbial Communities (A02)

• Subject Area: Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics ; Plant Genetics and Genomics ; Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems ; Plant Physiology ; Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
• Term: since 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239748522

Albeit microalgae are key contributors to global carbon fixation, their interactions with other microbes in terrestrial and marine ecosystems are barely known. We found that the soil bacterium Pseudomonas protegens arrests the growth of the green soil alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, deflagellates it and alters its morphology by using an arsenal of bacterial chemical weapons; the most potent toxins are a cyclic lipopep-tide and a polyyne. We also identified abiotic and biotic factors shaping this interaction. We now aim to further study the involved regulatory mechanisms and to compare those with a marine Chlamydomonas- based model system. This knowledge is relevant for primary production and for the control of algal blooms.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1127: Chemical Mediators in Complex Biosystems (ChemBioSys)
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Maria Mittag; Professor Dr. Severin Sasso