Novel copper‐binding and nitrogen‐rich thiols produced and exuded by Emiliania huxleyi

• DOI: 10.4319/lo.2004.49.5.1754
• Publication Date: 2010-07-01T22:15:08Z
• Authors: Christopher L. Du...; Robert K. Nelson; Saj Bashir; James W. Moffett; Beth A. Ahner
• Keywords: Emiliania huxleyi

In surface seawater, dissolved copper (Cu) is predominantly bound by a small pool of strong ligands, with further complexation larger weaker ligands. Although the chemical structure both classes ligands observed in open ocean remains unknown, it believed that stronger are biological origin, and has been hypothesized they thiols. Using precolumn derivatization high‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization ion‐trap mass spectrometry, we found ubiquitous coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi constitutively produces two previously uncharacterized thiols, arginine‐cysteine glutamine‐cysteine, high intracellular concentrations. E. exudes these novel along cysteine, response to increased Cu concentrations growth media. Furthermore, stable (I) complexes exuded thiols were media using matrix‐assisted laser desorption time‐of‐flight spectrometry following size exclusion chromatography. Additionally, appears utilize nitrogen storage assimilation, as rapidly synthesized upon addition nitrogen‐depleted culture. The identification specific produced this organism will facilitate linkages between likely source pools Cu‐binding while discovery signifies presence unique unknown biochemical pathways .