May 2020 archive

Related Articles
Draft Genome Sequences of Nine Cultivable Heterotrophic Proteobacteria Isolated from Phycosphere Microbiota of Toxic Alexandrium catenella LZT09.
Microbiol Resour Announc. 2020 May 28;9(22):
Authors:…

Microscopic interactions between phycosphere microbiota and host algae play crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems. Despite their significance, there is a scarcity of available genome sequences derived from the phycosphere microbiome. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of nine heterotrophic proteobacterial strains isolated from the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella LZT09 during execution of our Phycosphere Microbiome Project. Further exploration of the genomic features of the…

Related Articles
Chloroplast mRNAs are 3′ polyuridylylated in the green alga Pithophora roettleri (Cladophorales).
J Phycol. 2020 May 28;:
Authors: Meade MJ, Proulex GCR, Manoylov KM, Cahoon AB
Abstract
…

Species within the green algal order Cladophorales have an unconventional plastome structure where individual coding regions or small numbers of genes occur as linear single-stranded DNAs folded into hairpin structures. Another group of photosynthetic organisms with an equivalently reduced chloroplast genome are the peridinin dinoflagellates of the Alveolata eukaryotic lineage whose plastomes are mini-circles carrying one or a few genes required for photosynthesis. One unusual aspect of the…

Genomes of the dinoflagellate Polarella glacialis encode tandemly repeated single-exon genes with adaptive functions.
BMC Biol. 2020 May 24;18(1):56
Authors: Stephens TG, González-Pech RA, Cheng Y, Mohamed AR, Burt…

CONCLUSIONS: Our results elucidate how selection acts within the context of a complex genome structure to facilitate local adaptation. Because most dinoflagellate genes are constitutively expressed, Polarella glacialis has enhanced transcriptional responses via unidirectional, tandem duplication of single-exon genes that encode functions critical to survival in cold, low-light polar environments. These genomes provide a foundational reference for future research on dinoflagellate evolution.

Related Articles
Genomic Blueprint of Glycine Betaine Metabolism in Coral Metaorganisms and Their Contribution to Reef Nitrogen Budgets.
iScience. 2020 Apr 30;23(5):101120
Authors: Ngugi DK, Ziegler M, Duarte CM, Vo…

The osmolyte glycine betaine (GB) ranks among the few widespread biomolecules in all three domains of life. In corals, tissue concentrations of GB are substantially higher than in the ambient seawater. However, the synthetic routes remain unresolved, questioning whether intracellular GB originates from de novo synthesis or heterotrophic input. Here we show that the genomic blueprint of coral metaorganisms encode the biosynthetic and degradation machinery for GB. Member organisms also adopted the…