Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T07:37:25.143Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The uptake of guanine and hypoxanthine by marine microalgae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

N. Shah
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Microbiology, University College of Swansea, Swansea, SA PP
P. J. Syrett
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Microbiology, University College of Swansea, Swansea, SA PP

Extract

Guanine and hypoxanthine were excellent sole nitrogen sources for several microalgal species grown in axenic culture. Of the algae studied only Chlorella stigmatophora grew well on pyrimidines. Freshly harvested nitrate or ammonium-grown organisms generally lacked ability to take up guanine or hypoxanthine but this ability developed during several hours of photosynthesis in nitrogen-free medium. Nitrate-grown (but not ammonium-grown)Tetraselmis subcordiformis and Chlorella fusca could take up guanine, the initial rate of uptake increasing when the cells were also nitrogen-deprived. Of the algae studied only Chlorella vulgarisand Attheya decora required prior incubation with guanine before being able to take it up. Porphyridium purpureum did not take up guanine. Factors affecting the development of ability to take up guanine and the characteristics of guanine transport were studied. The transport systems showed Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with K s values ranging from 05 to 3–7/IM guanine. In marine species, guanine uptake was dependent on the presence of Nations in the medium but Chlorella stigmatophora showed less dependence on Na+ than other species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Antia, N. J.Berland, B. R. & Bonin, D. J. 1980. Proposal for an abridged nitrogen turnover cycle in certain marine planktonic systems involving hypoxanthine-guanine excretion by ciliates and their utilization by phytoplankton. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2, 97103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Antia, N. J.Berland, B. R.Bonin, D. J. & Maestrini, S. Y. 1975. Comparative evaluationof certain organic and inorganic sources of nitrogen for phototrophic growth of marine micro-algae. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 55, 519533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berlin, R. D. & Stadtman, E. R. 1966. A possible role ofpurine nucleotide pyrophosphorylases in the regulation of purine uptake by Bacillus subtilis. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 241, 26792686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bliss, G. J. & James, A. T. 1966. Fitting the rectangular hyperbola. Biometrics, 22, 573602.Google ScholarPubMed
Guillard, R. R. L. 1963. Organic sources of nitrogen for marine centric diatoms. In Marine Microbiology (ed. Oppenheimer, C. H.) pp. 93104. Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A.: C. C. Thomas.Google Scholar
Hellebust, J. A. 1978. Uptake of organic substrates by Cyclotella cryptica (Bacillariophyceae): effects of ions, ionophores and metabolic and transport inhibitors. Journal of Phycology, 14, 79–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichols, G. L. & Syrett, P. J. 1978. Nitrate reductase deficient mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardii. Isolation and genetics. Journal of General Microbiology, 108, 7177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicol, J. A. C. 1960. The Biology of Marine Animals, xi, 707 pp. London: Pitman.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettersen, R. 1975. Control by ammonium of intercompartmental guanine transport in Chlorella. Zeitschrift fur Pflanzenphysiologie, 76, 213233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettersen, R. & Knutsen, G. 1974. Uptake of guanine by synchronized Chlorella fusca: characterization of the transport system in autospores. Archiv fur Mikrobiologie, 96, 233246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Provasoli, L.Mclaughlin, J. A. A. & Droop, M. R. 1957. The development of artificialmedia for marine algae. Archiv fur Mikrobiologie, 25; 392428.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rees, T. A. V.Cresswell, R. C. & Syrett, P. J. 1980. Sodium dependent uptake of nitrate and urea by a marine diatom. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 596, 141144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roy-Burman, S. & Visser, D. W. 1975. Transport of purines and deoxyadenosine inEscherichia coli. Journal of Bacteriology, 250, 92709275.Google Scholar
Shah, N. 1983. Guanine Uptake and Metabolism by Phaeodactylum and Other Marine Microalgae. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wales.Google Scholar
Shah, N. & Syrett, P. J. 1982. Uptake of guanine by the diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Journal of Phycology, 18, 579587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shah, N. & Syrett, P. J. 1984. Enzymes of purine metabolism in the diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 64, 557562.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soldo, A. T.Godoy, G. A. & Larin, F. 1978. Purine excretory nature of refractile bodies in the marine ciliate Parauronema acutum. Journal of Protozoology, 25, 416418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Syrett, P. J. 1973. Measurement of nitrate and nitrite-reductase activities in whole cellsof Chlorella. New Phytologist, 72, 3746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, M. F. 1979. Nutrition of some marine microalgae with specialreference to vitamin requirements and utilization of nitrogen and carbon sources. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 59, 535552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar