Abstract Title
Comparing Nutritional Utilization by the Extremophile Euglena mutabilis
Abstract
Euglena are single-celled flagellated protists that observe both plant and animal characteristics. Euglena mutabilis have been found in both pristine and toxic environments such as acidic volcanic and mine drainage sites. Because of their ability to thrive in diverse locations, we hypothesize that there may be environment-specific differences between E. mutabilis strains, including their ability to metabolize different carbon sources. To address our hypothesis, we will monitor biomass production by cell counting and total chlorophyll production in Minimal Acid Media (MAM) – in which CO2 is the lone carbon source – supplemented with different carbon compounds. To determine phylogenetic relatedness of the E. mutabilis strains, we will sequence and compare five genes in each of six strains: SG6, 41, 47, 452, Em48, and 9C. Preliminary results show that when alanine is added to the MAM media, some strains display enhanced growth while others display no difference compared to solely MAM. Based on these results, we have expanded our nutritional studies with additional carbon sources to determine if there are further metabolic differences between the strains of E. mutabilis, possibly correlating to environmental conditions.
Comparing Nutritional Utilization by the Extremophile Euglena mutabilis
Euglena are single-celled flagellated protists that observe both plant and animal characteristics. Euglena mutabilis have been found in both pristine and toxic environments such as acidic volcanic and mine drainage sites. Because of their ability to thrive in diverse locations, we hypothesize that there may be environment-specific differences between E. mutabilis strains, including their ability to metabolize different carbon sources. To address our hypothesis, we will monitor biomass production by cell counting and total chlorophyll production in Minimal Acid Media (MAM) – in which CO2 is the lone carbon source – supplemented with different carbon compounds. To determine phylogenetic relatedness of the E. mutabilis strains, we will sequence and compare five genes in each of six strains: SG6, 41, 47, 452, Em48, and 9C. Preliminary results show that when alanine is added to the MAM media, some strains display enhanced growth while others display no difference compared to solely MAM. Based on these results, we have expanded our nutritional studies with additional carbon sources to determine if there are further metabolic differences between the strains of E. mutabilis, possibly correlating to environmental conditions.