Alumini and their projects

Dr. Gianmaria Califano (Doktorand, 2015-2019)

Research project

PhD student (EU-ITN-Project ALFF ALgal Microbiome: Friends and Foes)

The project aims to get new insights into the molecular mechanisms of symbiosis or antibiosis between U. mutabilis and its associated bacteria, I am aiming to develop a symbiosis model as a basis to engineer microbial communities for macroalgal aquacultures.

Publications

Alsufyani T., Califano G., Deicke M., Grueneberg J., Weiss A., Engelen A.H., Kwantes M., Mohr J.F., Ulrich J.F., Wichard T.* (2020) Macroalgal–bacterial interactions: identification and role of thallusin in morphogenesis of the seaweed Ulva (Chlorophyta), Journal of Experimental Botany 71: 3340-3349. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraa066External link

Califano G., Kwantes M., Abreu M.H., Costa R., Wichard T* (2020) Cultivating the macroalgal holobiont: effects of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture on the microbiome of Ulva rigida (Chlorophyta). Frontiers in Marine Science. 7:52. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00052External link

Polikovsky M.*, Califano G., Dunger N., Wichard T., Golberg A.* (2020) Engineering bacteria-seaweed symbioses for modulating the photosynthate content of Ulva (Chlorophyta): Significant for the feedstock of bioethanol production. Algal Research 49: 101945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2020.101945External link

Kuhlisch, C., Califano, G., Wichard, T., Pohnert, G.* (2018) Metabolomics of intra- and extracellular metabolites from micro- and macroalgae using GC-MS and LC-MS. In Protocols for Macroalgae Research, eds. B. Charrier, T. Wichard, C.R.K. Reddy, Chapter 18. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Francis & Taylor Group.

Califano, G., Wichard, T.* (2018) Preparation of axenic cultures in Ulva (Chlorophyta). In Protocols for Macroalgae Research, eds. B. Charrier, T. Wichard, C.R.K. Reddy, Chapter 9. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Francis & Taylor Group.

Dr. Michael Deicke (Doktorand, 2013-2018)

Research project

Identifizierung und Charakterisierung von Metallophoren des stickstofffixierenden Bodenbakteriums Frankia alni. Insbesondere wird die Bedeutung der Metallophore für die Symbiose zwischen Frankia alni und der Erle Alnus glutinosa erforscht. Dieses Projekt wird durch die Hans-Böckler-Stiftung gefördert.External link

Projektbeschreibung (Staatsexamensarbeit, 2011):
Molybdänaufnahme von Stickstofffixierern: Analyse von Metallkomplexen mittels UPLC/MS

Publications

Deicke, M., Mohr, J-F., Roy, S., Herzsprung, P., Bellenger, J-P., Wichard, T.* (2019) Metallophore profiling of nitrogen-fixing Frankia spp. to understand metal management in the rhizosphere of actinorhizal plants. Metallomics 11External link: 810-821. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8MT00344KExternal link

Baumeister, T. U. H., Ueberschaar, N., Schmidt-Heck, W., Mohr J. F., Deicke M., Wichard, T.*, Guthke R., Pohnert, G.* (2018) DeltaMS: A tool to track isotopologues in GC- and LC-MS data. MetabolomicsExternal link 14:41.External link

Kuhlisch, C., Deicke, M., Ueberschaar, N., Wichard, T., Pohnert, G. (2016) A fast and direct liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method to detect and quantify polyunsaturated aldehydes and polar oxylipins in diatoms. Limnology and Oceanography Methods. doi:10.1002/lom3.10143External link

Noumsi, J., C., Pourhassan, N., Darnajoux, R., Deicke, M., Wichard, T., Burrus, V., Bellenger, J-B. (2016) Effect of organic matter on nitrogenase metal cofactors homeostasis in Azotobacter vinelandii under diazotrophic conditions. Environmental Microbiology Reports, 8: 76-84. doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.12353External link

Deicke, M., Mohr, J. F., Bellenger, J. P., Wichard, T. (2014) Metallophore mapping in complex matrices by metal isotope coded profiling of organic ligands. Analyst, 23, 6096 - 6099External link

Deicke, M., Bellenger, J. P., Wichard, T. (2013) Direct quantification of bacterial molybdenum and iron metallophores with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 1258, 50-60External link

Dr. Ralf Kessler (Doktorand, 2013-2017)

Research projects: Diplom: Identifizierung und Charakterisierung von Sporulations- und Swärminhibitoren zur Regulation der Gametogenese in der marinen Makroalge Ulva sp. Zu Beginn der Gametangiendifferenzierung von Ulva lactuca und Ulva mutabilis wird ein "Schwärminhibitor" (SWI) in die Umgebung ausgeschieden, der ein vorzeitiges Ausschwärmen der reifen Gameten aus den Gametangien verhindert. Der synchrone Schwärmvorgang wird erst durch Ausverdünnen des Schwärminhibitors und durch Rotlicht induziert und erfolgt innerhalb weniger Minuten. Der Schwärminhibitor soll bis zur Reinsubstanz gereinigt und seine Struktur aufgeklärt werden. Die Diplomarbeit wird durch die ASSEMBLE EU-Infrastrukturmaßnahmen gefördert: An der marinen biologischen Station Ramalhete (Faro, Portugal) werden Aquakulturen von Ulva sp. angelegt, um eine ausreichende Biomasse zur Identifizierung von Sporulationsinhibitoren zu erzeugen. (Wichard & Oertel 2010, Journal of Phycology).External link

Proimotion: Das Projekt zielt darauf ab das Wachstum, die Fortpflanzung und die Regulation des Lebenszyklus von Ulva am Beispiel des Modellorganismus Ulva mutabilis und seiner symbiontischen Bakterien unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der chemischen Ökologie zu verstehen: Die Alge befindet sich entweder im Lebensabschnitt des Gametophyten oder des Sporophyten. Während der Gametogenese kann sich eine grüne Blattzelle zu einem Gametangium differenzieren (auch "Sporulation" genannt), wenn regulierende Inhibitoren, die Sporulationsinhibitoren SI-1 und SI-2, altersbedingt einen Schwellenwert unterschritten haben. Die Inhibitoren werden isoliert und ihre Strukturen aufgeklärt. Anschließend sollen die Sporulationsinhibitorenn zur Regulation algalen Wachstums in Aquakulturen eingesetzt werden. Dieses Projekt wird durch die Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) gefördert.External link

Publications
Kessler, R.W.¹, Weiss, A.¹, Kuegler, S., Hermes, C. Wichard, T.* (2018) Macroalgal-bacterial interactions: Role of dimethylsulfoniopropionate in microbial gardening by Ulva (Chlorophyta). Molecular Ecology 27: 1808-1819External link.

Kessler, R.W., Crecelius, A.C.*, Schubert, U.S., Wichard, T.* (2017) In situ monitoring of molecular changes during cell differentiation processes in marine macroalgae through mass spectrometric imaging. Analytical Bioanalytical Chemistry 409:External link 4893-4903. doi:10.1007/s00216-017-0430-7 External linkEmail: Ralf.Kessler at uni-jena.de

Vesty, E.F., Kessler, R. W., Wichard, T.*, Coates, J.C.* (2015) Regulation of gametogenesis and zoosporogenesis in Ulva linza (Chlorophyta): comparison with Ulva mutabilis and potential for laboratory culture. Front. Plant Sci. 6:15. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00015External link

Kessler, R.W., Alsufyani, T., Wichard, T.* (2018) Purification of sporulation and swarming inhibitors from Ulva: application in algal life cycle controlling. In Protocols for Macroalgae Research, eds. B. Charrier, T. Wichard, C.R.K. Reddy, Chapter 8. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Francis & Taylor Group.

Dr. Jens Bösger (PostDoc, 2014-2016)

Research Project: Transformation and development of the genetic tool kit of Ulva.

Publications
De Clerck, O.*, Kao, S-M., Bogaert, K.A., Blomme, J., Foflonker, F., Kwantes, M., Vancaester, E., Vanderstraeten, L., Aydogdu, E., Boesger, J., Califano, G., Charrier, B., Clewes, R., Del Cortona, A., D'Hondt, S., Fernandez-Pozo, N., Gachon, C.M., Hanikenne, M., Lattermann, L., Leliaert, F., Liu, X., Maggs, C.A., Popper, Z.A., Raven, J.A., Van Bel, M., Wilhelmsson, P.K.I., Bhattacharya, D., Coates, J.C., Rensing, S.A., Van Der Straeten, D., Vardi, A., Sterck, L., Vandepoele, K., Van de Peer, Y., Wichard, T., Bothwell, J.H.* (2018) Insights into the Evolution of Multicellularity from the Sea Lettuce Genome. Current Biology 28: 2921-2933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.015External link

Bösger, J., Kwantes, M., Wichard, T* (2018) Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated transformation in the green macroalgae Ulva mutabilis (Chlorophyta): a forward genetic approach. In Protocols for Macroalgae Research, eds. B. Charrier, T. Wichard, C.R.K. Reddy, Chapter 31. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Francis & Taylor Group.External link

Dr. Taghreed Alsufyani (PhD Student, 2010-2014)

Research project: I deciphered the dynamics of the chemosphere within the community of Ulva and its associated bacteria. Therefore, we used a sensitive metabolic profiling approach to discover waterborne biomarkers which might indicate various phases in algal growth and enable us to understand the algal-bacterial relationship. The waterborne metabolites of U. mutabilis cultures were extracted by solid phase extraction. Then the samples were directly analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and/or by gas chromatography (after derivatization) coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). A combined approach of chemometrics along with nutrient analyses and bioassays of reproductive behaviour revealed novel insights into the fluctuations of the waterborne biomarkers under different culture conditions over the growth phases of U. mutabilis. This approach was applied to laboratory bioreactors (20 L) and aquaculture vessels (250 L). Besides monitoring aquaculture, our study contributes to the bacteria-dependent morphogenesis of U. mutabilis. Further project: Elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway of oxylipins in Ulva sp.

Publications

Alsufyani T., Califano G., Deicke M., Grueneberg J., Weiss A., Engelen A.H., Kwantes M., Mohr J.F., Ulrich J.F., Wichard T* (2020) Macroalgal–bacterial interactions: identification and role of thallusin in morphogenesis of the seaweed Ulva (Chlorophyta), Journal of Experimental Botany 71: 3340-3349. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraa066External link

Kessler, R.W., Alsufyani, T., Wichard, T. (2018) Purification of sporulation and swarming inhibitors from Ulva: application in algal life cycle controlling. In Protocols for Macroalgae Research, eds. B. Charrier, T. Wichard, C.R.K. Reddy, Chapter 8. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Francis & Taylor GroupExternal link

Alsufyani, T., Engelen, A.H., Diekmann, O.E., Kuegler, S., Wichard, T. (2014) Prevalence and mechanism of polyunsaturated aldehydes production in the green tide forming macroalgal genus Ulva (Ulvales, Chlorophyta). Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, 183, 100-109External link

Alsufyani, T., Weiss, A., Wichard, T. (2017) Time Course Exo-Metabolomic Profiling in the Green Marine Macroalga Ulva (Chlorophyta) for Identification of Growth Phase-Dependent Biomarkers. Marine Drugs 15: 14. doi:10.3390/md15010014External link

PhD Nina Pourhassan Zenoz (Exchange PhD student from the Bellenger Lab, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada in 2013/14)External link

Research project: Metal homeostasis in alder.

Publications

Pourhassan, N., Wichard, T., Roy, S., Bellenger, J-B. (2014) Impact of elevated CO2 on metal homeostasis and the actinorhizal symbiosis in early successional alder shrubs. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 109, 168-176External link

Pourhassan, N., Gagnon, R., Wichard, T., Bellenger, J-B. (2014) Identification of the hydroxamate siderophore ferricrocin in Cladosporium cladosporioides. Natural Product Communications, 9, 539-540External link

Jan Grüneberg (PhD Student, 2009-2012)

Research project: Bacteria induced morphogensis in Ulva mutabilis.

Grueneberg, J., Engelen, A.H., Costa R., Wichard T. (2016) Macroalgal morphogenesis induced by waterborne compounds and bacteria in coastal seawater. PLoS ONE 11: e0146307. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146307External link