Keeping microalgae safe and available

• Main Authors: Santoro, Mariano, Chaerle, Peter, Lara, Yannick, Durieu, Benoit, Beets, Kim, Chepurnova, Olga, Simons, Véronique, Vyverman, Wim, Wilmotte, Annick
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Culture; BCCM; Cyanobacteria; Microorganisms; Collection; Diatoms; Life sciences; Biotechnology; Sciences du vivant; Biotechnologie; Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/226103; https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/226103/1/ULC-DCG%20for%20ARPMB%202018.pdf

ULC and DCG public collections of cyanobacteria and diatoms, respectively, are funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office and belong to the consortium of Belgian Co-Ordinated Collections of Microorganisms. They have an ISO9001 certification for the deposits and distributions of strains. BCCM/ULC is one of the largest BRC of documented (sub)polar cyanobacteria. It aims to represent the (sub)polar cyanobacterial diversity from a wide range of different habitats and to promote understanding of cyanobacterial adaptation mechanisms in high latitudes. It comprises 175 cyanobacterial strains (120 of polar origin) belonging to the more representative orders. Public, safe deposits and strains distribution (or genomic DNA) are provided to clients for fundamental and applied research. The first sequenced Antarctic cyanobacterial genome contains protein encoding genes involved in stress response and unknown gene clusters, potentially leading to discover novel secondary metabolites [1], in agreement with previous findings of antimicrobial activity of compounds from Antarctic strains [2]. BCCM/ULC will develop a culturomics approach to isolate target microorganisms. BCCM/DCG is the only BRC specialized in diatoms, the most species-rich group of aquatic photosynthetic organisms in freshwater and marine ecosystems. BCCM/DCG currently holds 514 publicly available strains originating from a wide geographic area and belonging to 48 species (representing all the principal phylogenetic lineages and ecological groups) most of which are cryopreserved. Next to the biological material, there is for the majority of the strains, extra data available: growth temperature, mating system, auxosporulation information, initial and minimal cell size, and sequence data. Additionally, many of the strains/taxa available at BCCM/DCG have been subject of published research focused on diatom genomics, cell and life cycle, determination and comparison of (eco)physiological properties, algae-bacteria interaction, and diatom population genetics, ...