Kurt G. Castro

ORCID: 0009-0007-8608-1903
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Research Areas
  • Studies on Chitinases and Chitosanases
  • Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
  • Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Marine and coastal plant biology
  • Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Fish Ecology and Management Studies
  • CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
  • Identification and Quantification in Food
  • Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
  • Marine and fisheries research
  • Protist diversity and phylogeny
  • Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
  • Ichthyology and Marine Biology
  • Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

Southern California University for Professional Studies
2025

University of Southern California
2025

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2022-2023

Boston University
2022

Marine picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic cells in oceans, are generally thought to have a primarily single-celled free-living lifestyle. However, while studying ability of supplement carbon fixation with use exogenous organic carbon, we found widespread occurrence genes for breaking down chitin, an source that exists as particles. We show encode chitin degradation pathway display activity, attach particles, enhanced growth under low light...

10.1073/pnas.2213271120 article EN cc-by-nc-nd Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2023-05-09

Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are abundant marine picocyanobacteria that contribute significantly to ocean primary production. Recent genome sequencing efforts, including those presented here, have yielded a large number of high-quality reference genomes, enabling the classification these in metagenomic sequence data at high phylogenetic resolution. When combined with environmental data, classifications can guide cluster/clade/grade assignments offer insights into niche differentiation...

10.1101/2025.03.20.644373 preprint EN bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 2025-03-25

Coral reefs are increasingly ecologically destabilized across the globe due to climate change. Behavioural plasticity in corallivore behaviour and short-term trophic ecology response bleaching events may influence extent severity of coral subsequent recovery potential, yet our understanding these interactions situ remains unclear. Here, we investigated between corallivory during a severe high thermal event (10.3-degree heating weeks) Belize. We found that parrotfish changed their grazing by...

10.1098/rspb.2022.1431 article EN cc-by Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences 2022-12-21

Isolates of the marine picocyanobacteria, Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, are often accompanied by diverse heterotrophic "contaminating" bacteria, which can act as confounding variables in otherwise controlled experiments. Traditional microbiological methods for eliminating contaminants, such direct streak-plating, unsuccessful with this particular group microorganisms. While they will grow pour plates, colonies remain contaminated bacteria that migrate through soft agar. Additionally,...

10.3389/fmicb.2022.821803 article EN cc-by Frontiers in Microbiology 2022-02-16

Abstract Chitin is an abundant, carbon-rich polymer in the marine environment. Chitinase activity has been detected spent media of Synechococcus WH7803 cultures—yet it was unclear which specific enzymes were involved. Here we delivered a CRISPR tool into cells via electroporation to generate loss-of-function mutants putative candidates and identified ChiA as enzyme required for wild type.

10.1038/s41598-023-47332-0 article EN cc-by Scientific Reports 2023-11-15

Abstract Chitin is an abundant, carbon-rich polymer in the marine environment. Chitinase activity has been detected spent media of Synechococcus WH7803 cultures – yet it was unclear which specific enzymes were involved. Here we delivered a CRISPR tool into cells via electroporation to generate loss-of-function mutants putative candidates and identified ChiA as enzyme required for wild type.

10.1101/2023.06.07.544114 preprint EN cc-by-nc-nd bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 2023-06-07
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