A protocol for the simultaneous identification of chitin-containing particles and their associated bacteria

Chitin is the second most abundant polymer on Earth, playing a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles. A core issue for studying its processing in aquatic systems is the identification and enumeration of chitin-containing particles and organisms, ideally in a manner that can be directly linked to...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Biancalana, Florencia, Kopprio, Germán Adolfo, Lara, Ruben Jose, Alonso, Cecilia
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:Argentina
Recursos:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/31225
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/31225
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Bacteria
Card-Fish
Chitin
Sestonic Aggregates
Wga
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descrição
Resumo:Chitin is the second most abundant polymer on Earth, playing a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles. A core issue for studying its processing in aquatic systems is the identification and enumeration of chitin-containing particles and organisms, ideally in a manner that can be directly linked to bulk chitin quantification. The aim of this study was the development of such a technique. We successfully combined the methodology of bulk chitin determination using wheat germ agglutinin (FITC-WGA) for staining chitin-containing particles and organisms along with CARD-FISH staining of either chitin-containing eukaryotic cells or bacteria associated with them. Environmental chitin staining was successfully applied to natural water samples. Fungal hyphae, diatoms, and dinoflagellates, sestonic aggregates and chitin-containing structures derived from metazoa were observed. Also, hybridized bacteria attached to chitinaceous debris were clearly visualized. Finally, as proof of principle, cultured yeast cells were simultaneously-targeted by FITC-WGA and the EUK516 probe without exhibiting any interference between both stains. The presented approach appears as a powerful tool to evaluate the contribution of different size classes and organisms to chitin production and consumption, opening the possibility for application of single-cell approaches targeting the ecophysiology of chitin transformations in aquatic systems.