Abstract :
[en] The BCCM/ULC public collection (https://bccm.belspo.be/about-us/bccm-ulc) aims to gather a representative portion of terrestrial, freshwater and marine cyanobacterial strains from different ecosystems with a focus on the polar diversity (140/272 strains). Amongst the 243 strains, for which the 16S rRNA gene sequence was determined, 93 OTU’s (99% 16S rRNA similarity) were recognized. It includes the taxonomic references (or ‘type’) for two taxa collected in Antarctica, Plectolyngbya hodgsonii and Shackletoniella antarctica. The collection’s goal is to preserve the deposited biological material, to valorize it by performing research on it, to provide it to interested parties for fundamental and applied research, and to provide services linked to the identification of the Cyanobacteria for the scientific community. An ISO 9001 certificate was obtained for the public deposition and distribution of strains, as part of the multi-site certification for the BCCM consortium
A dozen genomes are presently being sequenced. For example, for the FRIA project BI-HABITAT, four genomes were sequenced and assembled: Nostoc spp. ULC180 (coverage: 94.11 %, assembly: ~6.3 Mb), ULC008 (coverage: 98.11 %, assembly: ~6.1 Mb), and ULC046 (coverage: 85.5 %, assembly: 6.2 Mb), as well as Phormidium autumnale (Microcoleus favosus) ULC128 (coverage: 99.71 %, assembly: ~7.1 Mb). Given their origin from the harsh environments of polar biotopes, the discovery of genes related to particular adaptations as well as novel molecules may be expected. Accordingly, methanolic extracts obtained from Phormidesmis priestleyi ULC0026 (sister to ULC007 for which the genome was already published) and from Plectolyngbya hodgsonii ULC009 showed, respectively, bioactivity against the fungus Cercospora sp., an important causal agent of plant diseases, and against Candida sp., that can cause human infections (candidiasis).
