A non-axenic unialgal culture containing a Subsection V (Stigonematales) cyanobacterium, Hapalosiphon strain MRB 220, was obtained from a benthic freshwater algal mat through multiple transfers following growth in sterile media. Physiological characterization demonstrated the culture was capable of nitrogen-fixation and production of the off flavor compound 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB). Total DNA...

Aerophytic cyanobacteria are commonly found growing on rocks, tree trunks and soil, but the diversity of these organisms is still poorly known. This complex group is very problematic considering the taxonomic arrangement and species circumscription, especially when taking into account tropical populations. In this work, 20 samples of aerophytic cyanobacteria from 15 distinct sampling sites were...

The in vitro biochemical characterization revealed that iron/2-oxoglutarate (Fe/2OG)-dependent aliphatic halogenase WelO5* in Hapalosiphon welwitschii IC-52-3 has an enhanced substrate specificity towards 12-epi-hapalindole C (1) in comparison to WelO5 in H. welwitschii UTEX B1830. This allowed us to define the origin of the varied chlorinated versus dechlorinated alkaloid structural diversity ...

Heterologous expressions and purifications of all WelU proteins from the welwitindolinone pathways in Hapalosiphon welwitschii UTEX B1830 and IC-52-3 led to the discovery that WelU1 and WelU3 selectively assemble 12-epi-fischerindole U (2) and 12-epi-hapalindole C (1), respectively, from 3-geranyl 3-isocyanovinyl indolenine (4) via an enzymatic cascade featuring the Cope rearrangement, stereose...