Affiliations 

  • 1 St. John Island National Marine Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119227, Singapore. e0013223@u.nus.edu
  • 2 Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-8577, Japan
  • 3 Unit for Harmful Algal Bloom Studies, Borneo Marine Research Institute, University Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Jalan, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 88400, Malaysia
  • 4 St. John Island National Marine Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119227, Singapore
Funct Integr Genomics, 2024 Mar 02;24(2):46.
PMID: 38429576 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-024-01328-9

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic organisms which are found across many ecosystems, including freshwater and marine habitats. They are also found on natural and artificial surfaces. In this study, we cultured and characterise a novel cyanobacterium from the surfaces of foam microplastics of tropical coastal waters. We study the chemical ecology of this cyanobacterium, Sphaerothrix gracilis gen. et sp. nov., together with its potential to form harmful cyanobacterial blooms and bioremediation applications to combat plastic pollution. The genome of S. gracilis spanned 6.7 Mbp, with identification of antibiotic resistance, nitrogen-fixation, plastic-degrading and genes involved in harmful metabolite production. The transport of potentially harmful S. gracilis in coastal environments could have severe implications on human health and food security, especially in times of a cyanobacterial bloom.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.