Projects

Exploring the Functional Repertoire of Freshwater Cyanobacterial Extracellular Vesicles in Response to Environmental Stress 

PID2024-156076NB-I00

Proyecto Generación del conocimiento 2024

01-09-2025 - 31-08-28

CYANOVES

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound structures released by organisms across all three domains of life. In prokaryotes, EVs typically range from 50 to 250 nm in diameter and originate from the cell membrane, facilitating the secretion of lipids, proteins, DNA, RNA, and metabolites into the extracellular environment. These vesicles function as a bulk secretion mechanism, enabling cells to adapt to environmental fluctuations and mediate intercellular communication.

However, most EV-mediated interactions have been characterized in a few model bacterial species, primarily within biomedical research, leaving their ecological roles largely unexplored. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms driving EV cargo selection and the interactions between cells and vesicles within complex microbial communities remain poorly understood.

The functional role of EV cargo beyond DNA—including proteins, metabolites, and RNA—also remains largely unexplored, underscoring the need for controlled laboratory studies on ecologically relevant taxa. Given their dominance in freshwater ecosystems and their key role in bloom formation, cyanobacteria represent an ideal model for investigating EV-mediated stress adaptation in these environments.

CYANOVES aims to elucidate the functional repertoire of freshwater cyanobacterial EVs in response to environmental stress by integrating bioinformatic, experimental, genomic, and ecological approaches.