| Nr |
22 (Research article) |
| Authors |
Nunn, Brook; Ting, Ying; Malmström, Lars; Tsai, Yihsuan; Squier, Angela; Goodlett, David; Harvey, H |
| Title |
The path to preservation: Using proteomics to decipher the fate of diatom proteins during microbial degradation |
| Journal |
Limnol. Oceanogr. (2010) 55 1790-1804 |
| DOI |
10.4319/lo.2010.55.4.1790 |
| Citations |
24 citations (journal impact: 3.38) |
| Abstract |
We drew upon recent advances in tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses in order to examine the proteins that remain after a diatom bloom enters the stationary phase precipitates out of the photic zone and is subjected to microbial degradation over a 23-d period within a controlled laboratory environment. Proteins were identified from tandem mass spectra searched against three different protein databases in order to track proteins from Thalassiosira pseudonana and any potential bacterial contributions. A rapid loss of diatom protein was observed over the incubation period 75 of the proteins initially identified were not detected after 72 h of exposure to a microbial population. By the 23rd day peptides identified with high confidence correlated with only four T. pseudonana proteins. Five factors may have influenced the preservation of diatom proteins 1 protection within organelles or structures with multiple membranes 2 the relative cellular abundance in the photosynthetic apparatus 3 the number of transmembrane domains in the protein sequence 4 the presence of glycan modification motifs and 5 the capability of proteins or peptides to aggregate into supramolecules. |