Impact of Sulfur Starvation in Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Cultures of the Extremophilic Microalga Galdieria phlegrea (Cyanidiophyceae)

In plants and algae, sulfate assimilation and cysteine synthesis are regulated by sulfur accessibility from the environment. This study reports the effects of sulfur (S)-deprivation in autotrophic and heterotrophic cultures of Galdieria phlegrea (Cyanidiophyceae), a unicellular red alga isolated in the Solfatara crater located in Campi Flegrei (Naples, Italy), where H2S is the prevalent form of gaseous sulfur in the fumarolic fluids and sulfur is widespread in the soils near the fumaroles. This is the first report on the effects of S-deprivation on a sulfurous microalga that is also able to grow heterotrophically in the dark. The removal of sulfur from the culture medium of illuminated cells caused a decrease in the soluble protein content and a significant decrease in the intracellular levels of glutathione. Cells from heterotrophic cultures of Galdieria phlegrea exhibited high levels of internal proteins and glutathione content, which did not diminish during S-starvation, but rather glutathione significantly increased.The activity of O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase (OASTL), the enzyme synthesizing cysteine, was enhanced under S-deprivation in a time-dependent manner in autotrophic but not in heterotrophic cells. Analysis of the transcript abundance of the OASTL gene supports the OASTL activity increase in autotrophic cultures under S-deprivation.