Algae and biofuels

Algae and anchor

The complete genetic makeup of a species of ecologically important algae, which may aid in biofuel production, has been sequenced by scientists. This is only the second time that researchers have sequenced the genome of one of these ecologically important algae, known as haptophytes.

University of Washington scientists have sequenced the complete genetic makeup of one of these algae. The haptophytestudied is Chrysochromulina tobin. The organism thrives in oceans across the globe. The researchers spent years on a series of experiments to sequence all of Chrysochromulina's genes and understand how this creature turns different genes on and off throughout the day. In the process, they discovered that Chrysochromulina would make an ideal subject for investigating how algae make fat, a process important for nutrition, ecology and biofuel production.

For further details see:

Blake T. Hovde, Chloe R. Deodato, Heather M. Hunsperger, Scott A. Ryken, Will Yost, Ramesh K. Jha, Johnathan Patterson, Raymond J. Monnat, Steven B. Barlow, Shawn R. Starkenburg, Rose Ann Cattolico.Genome Sequence and Transcriptome Analyses of Chrysochromulina tobin: Metabolic Tools for Enhanced Algal Fitness in the Prominent Order Prymnesiales (Haptophyceae).PLOS Genetics, 2015; 11 (9): e1005469 DOI:10.1371/journal.pgen.1005469



 Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle

Bladderwrack and bacterial resistance

The bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus is a species of brown algae, found along the North Atlantic coasts. The algae has an interesting defence mechanism against bacterial infections.

Bacteria generally play a crucial role in the life of seaweeds. Also the bladderwrack lives in symbiosis with many types of bacteria that feed it with certain growth factors and nutrients. On the other hand, some other bacterial species can harm the seaweed. To deter them, Fucus produces different chemical compounds.

In terms of climate change, under changed light or temperature conditions the production of single defensive compounds decreased in comparison to unchanged conditions.

For further details, refer to:

Mahasweta Saha, Martin Rempt, Stephanie B. Stratil, Martin Wahl, Georg Pohnert, Florian Weinberger. Defence Chemistry Modulation by Light and Temperature Shifts and the Resulting Effects on Associated Epibacteria of Fucus vesiculosus. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (10): e105333 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105333

Posted by Tim Sandle

Photosynthetically productive light distributed to symbiotic microalgae

Iridescent cells in the mantle tissue of giant clams spread light of a wavelength that drives photosynthesis to microalgae that provide nutrition for the animals, the University of Pennsylvania’s Alison Sweeney and colleagues reported in Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

In their paper, the researchers likened the symbiotic system to an electric transformer, “which changes energy flux per area in a system while conserving total energy.” Given this parallel, the authors proposed that the clam system might inspire the development of more efficient and resilient photovoltaic materials.

These so-called iridocytes not only distribute photosynthetically productive light to the algae, they also reflect nonproductive light, the researchers showed. “At incident light levels found on shallow coral reefs, this arrangement may allow algae within the clam system to both efficiently use all incident solar energy and avoid the photodamage and efficiency losses,” the researchers wrote in their paper.

Source: The Scientist