CIIMAR researchers discover four new genera of cyanobacteria and name one of the species discovered after the director of the research center.
CIIMAR has just described four new genera of cyanobacteria. In homage to the current director of the research center, Vítor Vasconcelos, the researchers have given the name Vasconcelosia minhoensis to one of the species discovered.
After starting what is now the Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC), Vítor Vasconcelos sees his name and origin perpetuated through the description of a new genus and species of cyanobacteria described for the first time by a group of CIIMAR researchers. The species Vasconcelosia minhoensis and its genus are among the four genera of cyanobacteria recently discovered by CIIMAR and now published in the Journal of Phycology. The four genera of cyanobacteria were described as part of the doctoral work of Flavio Oliveira, a student at CIIMAR and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, with the cooperation of a group of other CIIMAR researchers: Guilherme Scotta Hentschke, João Morais, Raquel Silva, Pedro Cruz and Vitor Vasconcelos, also a lecturer at FCUP.
A well of hidden treasures
With the aim of exploring the biotechnological potential of cyanobacteria from Portugal and other regions of the world, Flavio Oliveira’s doctoral work involved the screening of more than 40 cyanobacteria from different taxonomic orders, which will make it possible to correlate their evolution with their fatty acid profile. To do this, correctly positioning them in taxonomic levels is essential: “The description of new genera allows for a better understanding of taxonomic groups, the evolution of cyanobacteria, but also the bioprospecting of new molecules produced by them,” explains Flavio Oliveira, a PhD student at CIIMAR and FCUP. These cyanobacteria are already part of the Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC) and are being studied in different lines of research by different groups at CIIMAR.
According to Guilherme Scotta Hentschke, co-author of this article and part of the team at CIIMAR’s cyanobacterial culture collection, “since 2023, we have identified 7 new genera of Portuguese cyanobacteria, which have already been published or are in the process of being published. In addition, LEGE-CC has hundreds of Portuguese strains that are still awaiting more detailed taxonomic analysis. Many of these strains are, in fact, unknown to science.”
Using morphological, ecological and molecular biology analyses, the paper “Exploring the cyanobacterial diversity in Portugal: description of four new genera from LEGE-CC using the polyphasic approach” provides an important update on the resolution of the orders Chroococcales, Acaryochloridales and Nodosilineales. “These samples not only expand our knowledge of the country’s biodiversity, but also represent valuable raw material for biotechnological studies, with the potential to generate patents or products in the future,” explains Guilherme Scotta Hentschke.
It should be noted, however, that the biodiversity of Portuguese cyanobacteria studied is far from being fully known. According to the researchers, “there are still many cyanobacteria to be described that could result in new genera. The diversity found so far is still underestimated.” There is therefore still a lot to discover.
A tribute to the director of CIIMAR
Naming a new species has certain rules, but it can also be a creative process. Bearing in mind the impact of the work of researcher Vítor Vasconcelos, who started the Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC) in 1991, the group of researchers involved in this work decided to give the name Vasconcelosia to one of the genera of cyanobacteria discovered, thus paying homage to the current director. They also chose one of the species discovered within this genus to refer to the origin of Vítor Vasconcelos, a native of Minho, thus giving it its full name Vasconcelosia minhoensis.
