Evaluation of sequential filtration and centrifugation to capture environmental DNA and survey microbial eukaryotic communities in aquatic environments.

Sequential membrane filtration of water samples is commonly used to monitor the diversity of aquatic microbial eukaryotes. This capture method is efficient to focus on specific taxonomic groups within a size fraction, but it is time-consuming. Centrifugation, often used to collect microorganisms from pure culture, could be seen as an alternative to capture microbial eukaryotic communities from environmental samples.

Proteomics unveil a central role for peroxisomes in butyrate assimilation of the heterotrophic Chlorophyte alga sp.

Volatile fatty acids found in effluents of the dark fermentation of biowastes can be used for mixotrophic growth of microalgae, improving productivity and reducing the cost of the feedstock. Microalgae can use the acetate in the effluents very well, but butyrate is poorly assimilated and can inhibit growth above 1 gC.L.

Phylogenetic and functional diversity of aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenases in microalgae.

The study shows the biochemical and enzymatic divergence between the two aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenases of the alga Polytomella sp., shedding light on novel aspects of the enzyme evolution amid unicellular eukaryotes. Aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHEs) are large metalloenzymes that typically perform the two-step reduction of acetyl-CoA into ethanol.

Concerted Up-regulation of Aldehyde/Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADHE) and Starch in Increases Survival under Dark Anoxia.

Aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHEs) are bifunctional enzymes that commonly produce ethanol from acetyl-CoA with acetaldehyde as intermediate and play a key role in anaerobic redox balance in many fermenting bacteria. ADHEs are also present in photosynthetic unicellular eukaryotes, where their physiological role and regulation are, however, largely unknown. Herein we provide the first molecular and enzymatic characterization of the ADHE from the photosynthetic microalga Purified recombinant ADHE catalyzed the reversible NADH-mediated interconversions of acetyl-CoA, acetaldehyde, and ethanol but seemed to be poised toward the production of ethanol from acetaldehyde.