Polar cyanobacteria in the BCCM/ULC collection : diversity and characterization

peer reviewedThe BCCM/ULC public collection funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) aims to gather a representative portion of the polar cyanobacterial diversity with different ecological origins (e.g. limnetic microbial mats, soil crusts, cryoconites, endoliths). It makes it available for researchers to study the taxonomy, evolution, adaptation to harsh environmental conditions, and genomic make-up. It presently includes 177 cyanobacterial strains, including 120 of polar origin (catalogue: http://bccm.belspo.be/catalogues/ulc-catalogue-search). Continuous maintenance of living cultures, most of which are also cryopreserved (as back-up), ensure the preservation and the rapid delivery of strains to clients for fundamental and applied research. Genomic DNA is also available on request. The collection has obtained the ISO 9001 certification for deposition and distribution of strains, as part of the multi-site certification for the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (BCCM) consortium. Morphological and molecular identifications (based on SSU rRNA 16S sequences) show that the strains belong to the orders Synechococcales, Oscillatoriales, Pleurocapsales, and Nostocales. This broad ordinal distribution makes the BCCM/ULC collection particularly interesting for phylogenomic studies. Hence, the sequencing of the genomes of several strains is underway. In addition, cyanobacteria produce a range of secondary metabolites (e.g. alkaloides, peptides, polyketides) with different potential bioactivities. Due to their geographic isolation and strong environmental stressors in their habitat, the exploration of Antarctic cyanobacteria metabolites is likely promising for both biotechnology or biomedical applications