Hydrodynamic conditions affect the proteomic profile of marine biofilms formed by filamentous cyanobacterium

Abstract

Proteomic studies on cyanobacterial biofilms can be an effective approach to unravel metabolic pathways involved in biofilm formation and, consequently, obtain more efficient biofouling control strategies. Biofilm development by the filamentous cyanobacterium Toxifilum sp. LEGE 06021 was evaluated on different surfaces, glass and perspex, and at two significant shear rates for marine environments (4 s(-1) and 40 s(-1)). Higher biofilm development was observed at 4 s(-1). Overall, about 1877 proteins were identified, and differences in proteome were more noticeable between hydrodynamic conditions than those found between surfaces. Twenty Differentially Expressed Proteins (DEPs) were found between 4 s(-1) vs. 40 s(-1). On glass, some of these DEPs include phage tail proteins, a carotenoid protein, cyanophynase glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, and the MoaD/ThiS family protein, while on perspex, DEPs include transketolase, dihydroxy-acid dehydratase, iron ABC transporter substrate-binding protein and protein NusG. This study contributes to developing a standardized protocol for proteomic analysis of filamentous cyanobacterial biofilms. This kind of proteomic analysis can also be useful for different research fields, given the broad spectrum of promising secondary metabolites and added-value compounds produced by cyanobacteria, as well as for the development of new antibiofilm strategies.