title: Polyphasic characterization of 10 selected ecologically relevant filamentous cyanobacterial strains from the South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica.
abstract: The evolutionary relationships of 10 Antarctic cyanobacterial strains of the order Oscillatoriales isolated from King George and Deception Islands, South Shetland Islands were studied by a polyphasic approach (morphology, 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer sequences). The studied taxa are characteristic of coastal Antarctic biotopes, where they form distinct populations and ecologically delimited communities. They were isolated from terrestrial habitats: microbial mats in seepages; crusts on soil, rocks, bones and mosses; mud, sometimes close to bird colonies; and from guano. Based on major phenotypic features, the strains were divided into four distinct morphotypes: Leptolyngbya borchgrevinkii (A), Leptolyngbya frigida (B), Microcoleus sp. (C) and Wilmottia murrayi (D). This morphological identification was in agreement with the phylogenetic relationships. For the first time, the 16S rRNA gene sequence of a strain corresponding to the L. borchgrevinkii morphotype was determined. Morphotype B is most related to sequences assigned to L. frigida isolated from microbial mats of coastal lakes in East Antarctica. Morphotype C belongs to a cluster including strains with morphotypes corresponding to Microcoleus attenuatus, Microcoleus favosus and Microcoleus sp., which are from Antarctica and other continents. Morphotype D is grouped with sequences assigned to W. murrayi mostly isolated from Antarctica.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Revova 39, SK-811 02 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Miroslava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jancusova
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Revova 39, SK-811 02 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Lubomir
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kovacik
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Antártico de Pesquisas Ambientais - INCT-APA, Universidade Federal do Pampa - UNIPAMPA, Campus São Gabriel, Av. Antônio Trilha, 1847, CEP: 97300-000, São Gabriel-RS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Antonio Batista
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynska dolina, SK-842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dusinsky
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ingénierie des Protéines, Institut de Chimie B6, Université de Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium awilmotte@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilmotte
mesh_terms: D000864:Antarctic Regions; D005075:Biological Evolution; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D062312:Islands; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: Antarctica; Leptolyngbya; Microcoleus; Wilmottia; cyanobacteria; rRNA operon