Claudio Slamovits
Author's posts
Dec 23
Submergence of the filamentous Zygnematophyceae Mougeotia induces differential gene expression patterns associated with core metabolism and photosynthesis
Protoplasma. 2021 Dec 22. doi: 10.1007/s00709-021-01730-1. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The streptophyte algal class Zygnematophyceae is the closest algal sister lineage to land plants. In nature, Zygnematophyceae can grow in both terrestrial and freshwater habitats and how they do this is an important unanswered question. Here, we studied what happens to the zygnematophyceaen alga …
Dec 22
The specific inhibition of glycerol synthesis and the phosphorylation of a putative MAPK give insight into the mechanism of osmotic sensing in a dinoflagellate symbiont
Signaling pathways are fundamental for the establishment and maintenance of diverse symbioses. The symbiosis of cnidarians and dinoflagellate algae is the foundation for the ecological success of coral reefs, involving the transfer of photosynthetic products from symbiont to host. However, signal transduction pathways for this symbiosis remain uncharacterized. Cultured and natural cnidarian symbionts can produce glycerol, one of the main translocated photosynthates. Here, we investigate whether…
Dec 17
Author Correction: Genomic analysis finds no evidence of canonical eukaryotic DNA processing complexes in a free-living protist
Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 16;12(1):7350. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27605-w. NO ABSTRACT PMID:34916502 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-27605-w
Dec 10
Isolation from a fish kill and transcriptomic characterization of Gyrodinium jinhaense off Long Island Sound
First found in Korean coastal water, the dinoflagellate Gyrodinium jinhaense is a recently established species with unclear global distribution and unexplored genomic characteristics. From a laboratory fish mortality event off Long Island Sound, USA, we isolated a dinoflagellate, and by microscopic and molecular (18S rRNA gene; >99% identical) analyses found that it resembles G. jinhaense, hence named G. jinhaense strain AP17. Towards developing a genetic database for this dinoflagellate, a…
Dec 09
Investigation of the impact of commonly used medications on the oral microbiome of individuals living without major chronic conditions
PLoS One. 2021 Dec 9;16(12):e0261032. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261032. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Commonly used medications produce changes in the gut microbiota, however, the impact of these medications on the composition of the oral microbiota is understudied. METHODS: Saliva samples were obtained from 846 females and 368 males aged 35-69 years from a Canadian population cohort, the …
Nov 24
Dependence of genome size and copy number of rRNA gene on cell volume in dinoflagellates
Dinoflagellates are an ecologically important group of protists in aquatic environment and have evolved many unusual and enigmatic genomic features such as immense genome sizes, high repeated genes, and a large portion of hydroxymethyluracil in DNA. Although previous studies have observed positive correlations between the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene copy number and genome size of a variety of eukaryotic organisms (e.g. higher plants and animals), or between cell volume and LSU rRNA gene copy…
Nov 18
The World of Algae Reveals a Broad Variety of Cryptochrome Properties and Functions
Algae are photosynthetic eukaryotic (micro-)organisms, lacking roots, leaves, and other organs that are typical for land plants. They live in freshwater, marine, or terrestrial habitats. Together with the cyanobacteria they contribute to about half of global carbon fixation. As primary producers, they are at the basis of many food webs and they are involved in biogeochemical processes. Algae are evolutionarily distinct and are derived either by primary (e.g., green and red algae) or secondary…
Nov 05
Flagellatimonas centrodinii gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family Nevskiaceae isolated from toxin-producing dinoflagellate Centrodinium punctatum
A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped strain (R2A-3^(T)) was isolated from the toxin-producing dinoflagellate Centrodinium punctatum and identified as a novel genus and new species based on a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The optimum conditions for growth of the strain were at 25 °C, pH 8.0 and in the presence of 3 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes and 92 core genes sets revealed that strain R2A-3^(T) belongs to the family Nevskiaceae in the class…
Oct 29
Biological and physico-chemical mechanisms accelerating the acclimation of Mn-removing biofilters
Water Res. 2021 Oct 23;207:117793. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117793. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT This study investigated treatment strategies which accelerated the acclimation of new Mn-removing biofilters to help utilities respond to changing Mn regulations, such as the recent introduction of a health-based maximum acceptable concentration and a reduction in the aesthetic objective for Mn in drinking …
Oct 26
Gene clusters for biosynthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids in dinoflagellate nuclear genomes: Possible recent horizontal gene transfer between species of Symbiodiniaceae (Dinophyceae)
Global warming increases the temperature of the ocean surface, disrupting dinoflagellate-coral symbiosis and resulting in a phenomenon called coral bleaching. Photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae include bleaching-tolerant and bleaching-sensitive coral symbionts. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms for changing symbiont diversity is potentially useful to assist recovery of coral holobionts (corals and their associated microbes, including multiple species of…