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Volume 12, Issue 3

Vitamin B-associated interactions between sp. TaiHu and sp. PCC 7002 revealed by multi-omics analysis Open Access

Abstract

The marine cyanobacterium sp. PCC 7002 (Syn7002) is a model organism that lacks the gene cluster required for vitamin B biosynthesis, necessitating cooperative interactions with other microbes. In this study, we established a synthetic microbial consortium by co-culturing Syn7002 with a bloom-forming community, followed by purification, and subsequently investigated the interactions between Syn7002 and the associated microbial community. Electron microscopy revealed numerous rod-shaped bacteria clustered around Syn7002 cells, indicating close spatial associations between species. Metagenomic analysis showed that the early-stage community consisted mainly of Syn7002, sp. TaiHu (MesTH) and sp. TaiHu (PseTH), although the abundance of PseTH declined after community stabilization. Investigation of vitamin B regulation between MesTH and Syn7002 through metatranscriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of nitrogen metabolism-related genes in the microbial community. Transcriptomic data further indicated that vitamin B biosynthesis and transport genes were significantly upregulated in MesTH. Combined with vitamin B-positive control experiments, these results confirm potential vitamin B complementarity between the two strains. The results further suggest that MesTH promotes the growth of Syn7002 in the community by providing the small amount of vitamin B needed for its growth. These findings provide new insights into vitamin-mediated microbial interactions and reveal additional transcriptional features of the synthetic community.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): microbial interactions , Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 , synthetic community and vitamin B12
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Key Research and Development Program of Hunan Province of China (Award 2025YFF0512900)
    • Principal Award Recipient: QiLi
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (Award 31900096)
    • Principal Award Recipient: QiLi
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (Award 92251304)
    • Principal Award Recipient: TaoLi
  • Key Research and Development Project of Hubei Province (Award 2023BCB107)
    • Principal Award Recipient: TaoLi
© 2026 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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2026-03-06
2026-04-16

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/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001665
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Vitamin B12-associated interactions between Mesorhizobium sp. TaiHu and Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 revealed by multi-omics analysis
M Gen 12, 001665 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.001665
/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001665
/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001665
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