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MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the extracellular polysaccharides released by the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana under various nutrient conditions

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Abstract

Investigation of the production and structural characteristics of the extracellular polysaccharides (ECPS) released by diatoms according to nutrient status is urgently necessary for our understanding of the roles of ECPS in aquatic ecosystem. In this study, the effects of N and P depletion and variable nutrient sources on the production and structural characterization of the soluble ECPS released by the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana in batch culture were examined. The abundance of the soluble ECPS produced under N (NO3 ) depletion was higher than that obtained in the P (PO4 3−) depletion and control treatments. NH4 + rather than NO3 and urea and sodium-glycerophosphate rather than PO4 3− were found to induce a higher abundance of soluble ECPS production at the end of the experiment, indicating that the abundance of soluble ECPS is also affected by the nutrient source. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis of the structural characteristics of the soluble ECPS samples showed that the degree of polymerization (d.p.) profiles and the distribution of the polymers with different molecular masses varied in response to nutrient depletion and different nutrient sources. An increase in the proportion of both low- and high-molecular-weight polymers under the N (NO3 ) and P (PO4 3−) depletion treatments was found. Based on the different characteristics of high- and low-molecular-weight polymers, our results suggest that the production of soluble ECPS may be one of the strategies that T. pseudonana utilizes to survive under nutrient stress conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under grant numbers 40876079, the National 973 project under grant number 2011CB200901 and 2010CB428704, the NSFC under grant numbers 41276130, and the Natural Science Foundation of the Fujian Province of China under grant number 2008J0139.

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Correspondence to Jun-Rong Liang.

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Ai, XX., Liang, JR., Gao, YH. et al. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the extracellular polysaccharides released by the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana under various nutrient conditions. J Appl Phycol 27, 673–684 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0360-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0360-0

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