title: DNA as a phosphate storage polymer and the alternative advantages of polyploidy for growth or survival.
abstract: Haloferax volcanii uses extracellular DNA as a source for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. However, it can also grow to a limited extend in the absence of added phosphorous, indicating that it contains an intracellular phosphate storage molecule. As Hfx. volcanii is polyploid, it was investigated whether DNA might be used as storage polymer, in addition to its role as genetic material. It could be verified that during phosphate starvation cells multiply by distributing as well as by degrading their chromosomes. In contrast, the number of ribosomes stayed constant, revealing that ribosomes are distributed to descendant cells, but not degraded. These results suggest that the phosphate of phosphate-containing biomolecules (other than DNA and RNA) originates from that stored in DNA, not in rRNA. Adding phosphate to chromosome depleted cells rapidly restores polyploidy. Quantification of desiccation survival of cells with different ploidy levels showed that under phosphate starvation Hfx. volcanii diminishes genetic advantages of polyploidy in favor of cell multiplication. The consequences of the usage of genomic DNA as phosphate storage polymer are discussed as well as the hypothesis that DNA might have initially evolved in evolution as a storage polymer, and the various genetic benefits evolved later.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Karolin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zerulla
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chimileski
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Näther
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gophna
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors.forename: R Thane
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Papke
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soppa
mesh_terms: D001704:Biopolymers / Q000378:metabolism*; D019847:Chromosomes, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics; D019641:DNA, Archaeal / Q000378:metabolism*; D003890:Desiccation; D020745:Genome, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics; D019622:Haloferax volcanii / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D011123:Polyploidy; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D019641:DNA, Archaeal; D010710:Phosphates; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen
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