Iron limitation effects a massive shift in iron and flavin based antioxidant enzyme systems and their substrates in the Chlorophyte alga Dunaliella tertiolecta

Ubiquitous in the neritic ocean, it is now believed that iron-limitation is the most important factor controlling primary production in oceanic phytoplankton. To investigate the effects of iron deficiency, Dunaliella tertiolecta was cultured under limiting (100 nM Fe) and replete (1μM Fe) iron concentrations. The physiological status and the Water-Water antioxidant defense system were evaluated. Iron limitation effected a 21% drop in PSII efficiency (replete= 0.634± 0.012; limiting= 0.507± 0.012) concurrent with a 17.5% reduction in photosynthetic rates (replete= 265.8 umol 02/mg chl/hr ± 5.7; limiting= 219.3 umol 02/mg chl/hr ± 5.7). Both heme and non-heme based antioxidant enzyme activities were assessed. Heme-based Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), exhibits an 84% iron limited rate reduction (replete and limited = 36.23 and 5.72 umol ascorbate mg prot-1 hr-1 ±2.96, respectively). Conversely, the flavin-based Monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), exhibits a significant rate increase, 2.16±0.19 (replete) to 3.86±0.19 umol NADH mg prot-1 hr-1 under iron-limitation. Iron deficient cultures exhibit a 34% increase in total available ascorbate. These investigations suggest that D. tertiolecta is able to maintain a stable growth rate under iron limitation by re-allocating its subcellular usage of available iron and increasing the availability of total ascorbate. Further investigations will determine the presence of additional iron/flavin based molecules involved in the photosynthetic apparatus and anti-oxidant scavenging mechanisms.