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Identification and localization of a thylakoid-bound carbonic anhydrase from the green algae Tetraedron minimum (Chlorophyta) and Chlamydomonas noctigama (Chlorophyta).

In order to broaden our understanding of the eukaryotic CO2-concentrating mechanism the occurrence and localization of a thylakoid-associated carbonic anhydrase (EC 4.2.1.1) were studied in the green algae Tetraedron minimum and Chlamydomonas noctigama. Both algae induce a CO2-concentrating mechanism when grown under limiting CO2 conditions. Using mass-spectrometric measurements of 18O exchange from doubly labelled CO2, the presence of a thylakoid-associated carbonic anhydrase was confirmed for both species. From purified thylakoid membranes, photosystem I (PSI), photosystem II (PSII) and the light-harvesting complex of the photosynthetic apparatus were isolated by mild detergent gel. The protein fractions were identified by 77 K fluorescence spectroscopy and immunological studies. A polypeptide was found to immunoreact with an antibody raised against thylakoid carbonic anhydrase (CAH3) from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It was found that this polypeptide was mainly associated with PSII, although a certain proportion was also connected to light harvesting complex II. This was confirmed by activity measurements of carbonic anhydrase in isolated bands extracted from the mild detergent gel. The thylakoid carbonic anhydrase isolated from T. minimum had an isoelectric point between 5.4 and 4.8. Together the results are consistent with the hypothesis that thylakoid carbonic anhydrase resides within the lumen where it is associated with the PSII complex.

Animals↗

The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the green alga Pseudendoclonium akinetum (Ulvophyceae) highlights distinctive evolutionary trends in the chlorophyta and suggests a sister-group relationship between the Ulvophyceae and Chlorophyceae.

The mitochondrial genome has undergone radical changes in both the Chlorophyta and Streptophyta, yet little is known about the dynamics of mtDNA evolution in either of these lineages. In the Chlorophyta, which comprises four of the five recognized classes of green algae (Prasinophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae, Ulvophyceae, and Chlorophyceae), the mitochondrial genome varies from 16 to 55 kb. This genome has retained a compact gene organization and a relatively complex gene repertoire ("ancestral" pattern) in the basal lineages represented by the Trebouxiophyceae and Prasinophyceae, whereas it has been reduced in size and gene complement and tends to evolve much more rapidly at the sequence level ("reduced-derived" pattern of evolution) in the Chlorophyceae and the lineage leading to the enigmatic chlorophyte Pedinomonas. To gain information about the evolutionary trends of mtDNA in the Ulvophyceae and also to gain insights into the phylogenetic relationships between ulvophytes and other chlorophytes, we have determined the mtDNA sequence of Pseudendoclonium akinetum. At 95,880 bp, Pseudendoclonium mtDNA is the largest green-algal mitochondrial genome sequenced to date and has the lowest gene density. These derived features are reminiscent of the "expanded" pattern exhibited by embryophyte mtDNAs, indicating that convergent evolution towards genome expansion has occurred independently in the Chlorophyta and Streptophyta. With 57 conserved genes, the gene repertoire of Pseudendoclonium mtDNA is slightly smaller than those of the prasinophyte Nephroselmis olivacea and the trebouxiophyte Prototheca wickerhamii. This ulvophyte mtDNA contains seven group I introns, four of which have homologs in green-algal mtDNAs displaying an "ancestral" or a "reduced-derived" pattern of evolution. Like its counterpart in the chlorophycean green alga Scenedesmus obliquus, it features numerous small, dispersed repeats in intergenic regions and introns. Its overall rate of sequence evolution appears to be accelerated to an intermediary level as compared with the rates observed in "ancestral" and "reduced-derived" mtDNAs. In agreement with the finding that Pseudendoclonium mtDNA exhibits features typical of both the "ancestral" and "reduced-derived" patterns of evolution, phylogenetic analyses of seven mtDNA-encoded proteins revealed a sister-group relationship between this ulvophyte and chlorophytes displaying "reduced-derived" mtDNAs.

Base Sequence↗

Phylogenetic analysis identifies the invertebrate pathogen Helicosporidium sp. as a green alga (Chlorophyta).

Historically, the invertebrate pathogens of the genus Helicosporidium were considered to be either protozoa or fungi, but the taxonomic position of this group has not been considered since 1931. Recently, a Helicosporidium sp., isolated from the blackfly Simulium jonesi Stone & Snoddy (Diptera: Simuliidae), has been amplified in the heterologous host Helicoverpa zea. Genomic DNA has been extracted from gradient-purified cysts. The 185, 28S and 5.8S regions of the Helicosporidium rDNA, as well as partial sequences of the actin and beta-tubulin genes, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Comparative analysis of these nucleotide sequences was performed using neighbour-joining and maximum-parsimony methods. All inferred phylogenetic trees placed Helicosporidium sp. among the green algae (Chlorophyta), and this association was supported by bootstrap and parsimony jackknife values. Phylogenetic analysis focused on the green algae depicted Helicosporidium sp. as a close relative of Prototheca wickerhamii and Prototheca zopfii (Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae), two achlorophylous, pathogenic green algae. On the basis of this phylogenetic analysis, Helicosporidium sp. is clearly neither a protist nor a fungus, but appears to be the first described algal invertebrate pathogen. These conclusions lead us to propose the transfer of the genus Helicosporidium to Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae.

Actins↗

Chlorophyta exclusively use the 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate/2-C-methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway for the biosynthesis of isoprenoids.

The biosynthesis of the C5 building block of isoprenoids, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), proceeds in higher plants via two basically different pathways; in the cytosolic compartment sterols are formed via mevalonate (MVA), whereas in the plastids the isoprenoids are formed via the 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate/2-C-methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway (DOXP/MEP pathway). In the present investigation, we found for the Charophyceae, being close relatives to land plants, and in the original green flagellate Mesostignma virilde the same IPP biosynthesis pattern as in higher plants: sterols are formed via MVA, and the phytol-moiety of chlorophylls via the DOXP/MEP pathway. In contrast, representatives of four classes of the Chlorophyta (Chlorophyceae, Ulvophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae, Prasinophyceae) did not incorporate MVA into sterols or phytol. Instead, they incorporated [1-2H1]-1-deoxy-D-xylulose into phytol and sterols. The results indicate that the entire Chlorophyta lineage, which is well separated from the land plant/Charophyceae lineage, is devoid of the acetate/ MVA pathway and uses the DOXP/MEP pathway not only for plastidic, but also for cytosolic isoprenoid formation.

Carbon Radioisotopes↗

Comparison of plastid 16S rRNA (rrn16) genes from Helicosporidium spp.: evidence supporting the reclassification of Helicosporidia as green algae (Chlorophyta).

The Helicosporidia are invertebrate pathogens that have recently been identified as non-photosynthetic green algae (Chlorophyta). In order to confirm the algal nature of the genus Helicosporidium, the presence of a retained chloroplast genome in Helicosporidia cells was investigated. Fragments homologous to plastid 16S rRNA (rrn16) genes were amplified successfully from cellular DNA extracted from two different Helicosporidium isolates. The fragment sequences are 1269 and 1266 bp long, are very AT-rich (60.7 %) and are similar to homologous genes sequenced from non-photosynthetic green algae. Maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood and neighbour-joining methods were used to infer phylogenetic trees from an rrn16 sequence alignment. All trees depicted the Helicosporidia as sister taxa to the non-photosynthetic, pathogenic alga Prototheca zopfii. Moreover, the trees identified Helicosporidium spp. as members of a clade that included the heterotrophic species Prototheca spp. and the mesotrophic species Chlorella protothecoides. The clade is always strongly supported by bootstrap values, suggesting that all these organisms share a most recent common ancestor. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from plastid 16S rRNA genes confirmed that the Helicosporidia are non-photosynthetic green algae, close relatives of the genus Prototheca (Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae). Such phylogenetic affinities suggest that Helicosporidium spp. are likely to possess Prototheca-like organelles and organelle genomes.

Chlorella↗

Isolation and characterization of a single-copy actin gene from a sterile mutant of Ulva pertusa (Ulvales, Chlorophyta).

We constructed a cDNA library from sterile Ulva pertusa (Ulvales, Chlorophyta), and isolated and characterized a full-length cDNA clone encoding actin. The actin (ACT) cDNA consisted of 1487 nucleotides (nt) and had an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 377 amino acid (AA) residues. The ACT gene had one intron in the 5'-untranslated region and three introns in the coding region. Transcription started 26 nt downstream of the putative TATA box. A potential polyadenylation signal, TGTAG, was located 100 nt downstream of the terminator codon, TAG. Amino acid alignment with actins from various algae and land plants showed that sterile U. pertusa actin was more similar to actins from Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, Euglenophyta, and higher plants (over 76.9%) than to actins from Rhodophyta. Southern blot analysis indicated that the sterile U. pertusa genome has only a single actin-encoding gene. Thalli grown on a 12D/12L photoperiod increased in surface area some two-fold over 24 h regardless of the nutritional conditions. The growth rate of thalli during the light period was significantly higher than that during the dark period. Northern hybridization indicated that the expression of actin mRNA was induced and repressed by the light and dark treatments, respectively. These results suggest that the U. pertusa cell division cycle has a periodicity of 24 h and that the ACT gene is highly transcribed during cell growth and development in the light period.

Actins↗

Visualization of DNA-containing structures in various species of Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta and Cyanophyta using SYBR Green I dye.

We developed an alternative method of staining cell nuclei and chloroplast nucleoids of algal cells using SYBR Green I (the fluorescent dye used commonly for detecting dsDNA in agarose and polyacrylamide gels as an alternative to highly mutagenic ethidium bromide and for DNA staining of viruses and bacteria followed by flow cytometry, digital image analysis or real-time PCR), which enabled routine staining in vivo. Cells do not need to be fixed or treated chemically or physically before staining, thus the shape, size and position of DNA-containing structures are not affected. The fluorescence signal is sharp and reproducible. Examples of application of the method are shown in color microphotographs for representatives of eukaryotic algae from the taxa Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta and the prokaryotic Cyanophyta. The method is also useful for studying progress of the cell cycle in algal cells dividing by multiple fission, as shown by observation of changes in nuclear number during the cell cycle of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Scenedesmus quadricauda. Staining with SYBR Green I can be recommended as a fast, safe and efficient method for the detection of DNA-containing structures in vivo.

Benzothiazoles↗

Presence of the CO2-concentrating mechanism in some species of the pyrenoid-less free-living algal genus Chloromonas (Volvocales, Chlorophyta).

Physiological and morphological characteristics related to the CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) were examined in several species of the free-living, unicellular volvocalean genus Chloromonas (Chlorophyta), which differs morphologically from the genus Chlamydomonas only by lacking pyrenoids. The absence of pyrenoids in the chloroplasts of Chloromonas (Cr.) rosae UTEX 1337, Cr. serbinowii UTEX 492, Cr. clatharata UTEX 1970, Cr. rosae SAG 26.90, and Cr. palmelloides SAG 32.86 was confirmed by light and electron microscopy. In addition, immunogold electron microscopy demonstrated that ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) molecules were distributed almost evently throughout the chloroplasts in all five Chloromonas strains. However, Chloromonas exhibited two types of physiological characteristics related to the CCM depending on the species or strains examined. Chloromonas rosae UTEX 1337 and Cr. serbinowii had high photosynthetic affinities for CO2 in cells grown in culture medium bubbled with air (low-CO2 cells), compared with those grown in medium bubbled with 5% CO2 (high-CO2 cells), indicating the presence of the low-CO2-inducible CCM. In addition, these two Chloromonas strains exhibited low-CO2-inducible carbonic anhydrase (CA; EC 4.2.1.1) activity and seemed to have small intracellular inorganic carbon pools. Therefore, it appears that Cr. rosae UTEX 1337 and Cr. serbinowii possess the CCM as in pyrenoid-containing microalgae such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. By contrast, Cr. clatharata, Cr. rosae SAG 26.90 and Cr. palmelloides showed low photosynthetic affinities for CO2 when grown under both CO2 conditions. Moreover, these three strains exhibited an apparent absence of intracellular inorganic carbon pools and lacked low-CO2-inducible CA activity. Thus, Cr. clatharata, Cr. rosae SAG 26.90 and Cr. palmelloides, like other pyrenoid-less algae (lichen photobionts) reported previously, seem to lack the CCM. The present study is the first demonstration of the CCM in pyrenoid-less algae, indicating that pyrenoids or accumulation of Rubisco in the chloroplasts are not always essential for the CCM in algae. Focusing on this type of CCM in pyrenoid-less algae, the physiological and evolutionary significance of pyrenoid absence is discussed.

Carbon Dioxide↗

Cytoskeletal 10 nm filaments in cells of the algal phyla Chlorophyta, Charophyta, and Chrysophyta and their developmentally regulated and species-specific association with prosomes.

10 nm diameter filaments were observed in whole-mount preparations of algae of diverse phyla: Acetabularia acetabulum and A. major (Chlorophyta), Chara australis and Nitella flexilis (Charophyta), and Poterioochromonas malhamensis (Chrysophyta). A polyclonal antibody raised against a basic, 50 kDa DNA-binding protein of A. acetabulum stains the filaments of A. acetabulumand and A. major as well as of C. australis and N. flexilis. While in the perinuclear region of A. acetabulumand and A. major and throughout the cytoplasm of P. malhamensis the 10 nm filaments have a smooth appearance, in the stalk of A. acetabulumand and A. major they are densely covered by globular structures; in C. australis and N. flexilis they are less frequently associated with such material. The morphology of a part of the globular particles is quite reminiscent of prosomes. A monoclonal antibody elicited against prosomes isolated from A. acetabulum indeed decorates the globular particles on the A. acetabulum and A. major filaments. The possible role of these filament-particle associations is discussed.

Characeae↗

Behavior of nuclei during zoosporogenesis in Bryopsis plumosa (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta).

The behavior of nuclei during zoosporogenesis in Bryopsis plumosa (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) was examined by fluorescence and electron microscopy. Each mature filamentous sporophyte had a single lenticular nucleus, which was about 25 microm in diameter and embedded in a thick cytoplasmic layer. At the commencement of multinucleation, giant nuclei with large vacuolated nucleoli, giant nuclei containing chromosomes, and dumbbell-shaped nuclei were observed. Sometimes, two small nuclei also appeared in the thick cytoplasm where the giant nucleus had presumably been present. Electron microscopy revealed the existence of ribbon-like structures resembling synaptonemal complexes within the nucleus having a large vacuolated nucleolus. Nuclei extended their distribution by repetitive divisions. A pair of centrioles was adjacent to the interphase nucleus. When the nuclei were distributed throughout the cell, they became localized nearly equidistantly from one another, each being surrounded by several chloroplasts. At this stage, many centrioles lay along the nuclear surface. The bulk of cytoplasm was then divided into many masses of protoplasm, each of which developed into a uninucleate, stephanokontic zoospore with a whorl of flagella.

Cell Nucleus↗

A short flagella mutant of Dunaliella sallina (Chlorophyta, Cholorophyceae).

Dunaliella salina (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae) is a unicellular wall-less biflagellate alga. In this paper we describe a spontaneous mutant of D. salina, isolated from wild type cultures, which is characterized by very short flagella. The ultrastructure showed the basic 9 + 2 organization of wild-type flagella. Immunofluorescence localization of tubulin in this mutant confirmed the normal construction of the axoneme. Although, the mutant does not swim, still it is able to move and perform photobehavior. As shown by track reconstruction, and rotation movements, observed by means of reflection microscopy, this mutant can move, probably gliding by means of its stumpy flagella. A possible model to explain the mutant motion pattern is discussed.

Chlorophyta↗

Enteromorpha flexuosa (Wulfen) J. Agardh (Chlorophyta: Ulvales)--evaluation as an indicator of heavy metal contamination in a tropical estuary.

The use of bioindicators for contaminant monitoring is popular in all sectors of the environment but quite often bioindicators are utilised without rigorous evaluation of their viability as an indicator. We report field and laboratory investigations into the value of a commonly found macroalga, Enteromorpha flexuosa (Wulfen) J. Agardh (Chlorophyta: Ulvales) as an indicator of copper, zinc and lead contamination in a tropical estuary in Fiji. In the laboratory, metal content of E. flexuosa after 60 days of growth in seawater containing increasing concentrations of the metals showed almost perfect correlation with metal concentrations in water for all three metals, and concentration factors obtained were generally higher than values reported for other species of Enteromorpha. Performance in the field was evaluated by a one-year monitoring of metals in E. flexuosa, water and sediments from a contaminated estuary. Metal concentrations in water were always below detection limits and field concentration factors could not be determined but the concentration of lead in E. flexuosa showed a high correlation with the lead content of sediments. Lack of such correlation for copper and zinc in the field suggests that other environmental factors besides metal load in the physical environment could be controlling the bioaccumulation of these two metals. Whilst demonstrating E. flexuosa to be a viable bioindicator for lead, these results also highlight the need for proper assessment before an organism is considered for environmental monitoring.

Chlorophyta↗

The xanthophyll cycle in green algae (chlorophyta): its role in the photosynthetic apparatus.

Light-dependent conversion of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin, the so-called xanthophyll cycle, was shown to serve as a major, short-term light acclimation mechanism in higher plants. The role of xanthophylls in thermal dissipation of surplus excitation energy was deduced from the linear relationship between zeaxanthin formation and the magnitude of non-photochemical quenching. Unlike in higher plants, the role of the xanthophyll cycle in green algae (Chlorophyta) is ambiguous, since its contribution to energy dissipation can significantly vary among species. Here, we have studied the role of the xanthophyll cycle in the adaptation of several species of green algae (Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Haematococcus, Chlorococcum, Spongiochloris) to high irradiance. The xanthophyll cycle has been found functional in all tested organisms; however its contribution to non-photochemical quenching is not as significant as in higher plants. This conclusion is supported by three facts: (i) in green algae the content of zeaxanthin normalized per chlorophyll was significantly lower than that reported from higher plants, (ii) antheraxanthin + zeaxanthin content displayed different diel kinetics from NPQ and (iii) in green algae there was no such linear relationship between NPQ and Ax + Zx, as found in higher plants. We assume that microalgae rely on other dissipation mechanism(s), which operate along with xanthophyll cycle-dependent quenching.

Acclimatization↗

Flagellar membrane proteins of Tetraselmis striata butcher (Chlorophyta).

Highly purified flagella of the green alga Tetraselmis striata (Chlorophyta) were extracted by Triton X-114 phase partitioning. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that most proteins were present in the aqueous phase, only two prominent flagellar membrane proteins (fmp) of apparent molecular weight 145 and 57 kDa (fmp145 and fmp57) were enriched in the detergent phase. Fmp145 was purified by gel permeation chromatography. Glycosidase treatment in combination with lectin blot analysis showed that fmp145 is a glycoprotein containing 3-5 N-glycans of the high mannose and/or hybrid type. A polyclonal antibody (anti-fmp136) was raised against the deglycosylated form of fmp145 and used to localize fmp145 by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. Immunogold labeling showed fmp145 to be present between the scale layers and the flagellar membrane. During flagellar regeneration fmp145 is incorporated evenly and rapidly into the newly developing flagella. Anti-fmp136 specifically cross-reacted with flagella of only a subgroup of Tetraselmis strains characterized by a specific flagellar hair type (type II according to Marin et al. 1993) and thus could be a useful immunomarker for the identification of Tetraselmis strains by fluorescence microscopy.

Algal Proteins↗

Unearthing the molecular phylodiversity of desert soil green algae (Chlorophyta).

Deserts are not usually considered biodiversity hotspots, but desert microbiotic crust communities exhibit a rich diversity of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic life forms. Like many communities dominated by microscopic organisms, they defy characterization by traditional species-counting approaches to assessing biodiversity. Here we use exclusive molecular phylodiversity (E) to quantify the amount of evolutionary divergence unique to desert-dwelling green algae (Chlorophyta) in microbiotic crust communities. Given a phylogenetic tree with branch lengths expressed in units of expected substitutions per site, E is the total length of all tree segments representing exclusively desert lineages. Using MCMC to integrate over tree topologies and branch lengths provides 95% Bayesian credible intervals for phylodiversity measures. We found substantial exclusive molecular phylodiversity based on 18S rDNA data, showing that desert lineages are distantly related to their nearest aquatic relatives. Our results challenge conventional wisdom, which holds that there was a single origin of terrestrial green plants and that green algae are merely incidental visitors rather than indigenous components of desert communities. We identify examples of lineage diversification within deserts and at least 12 separate transitions from aquatic to terrestrial life apart from the most celebrated transition leading to the embryophyte land plants. [Bayesian phylogenetics; biodiversity; exclusive molecular phylodiversity; microbiotic crusts.].

Biodiversity↗

Antioxidant activity of different sulfate content derivatives of polysaccharide extracted from Ulva pertusa (Chlorophyta) in vitro.

Polysaccharide extracted from Ulva pertusa (Chlorophyta) is a group of sulfated heteropolysaccharide; for simplicity, the sulfated polysaccharide is referred to as ulvan in this paper. In this study, different sulfate content ulvans were prepared with sulfur trioxide/N,N-dimethylformamide (SO3-DMF) in formamide, and their antioxidant activities were investigated including scavenging activity of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, reducing power and metal chelating ability. As expected, we obtained several satisfying results, as follows: firstly, high sulfate content ulvans had more effective scavenging activity on hydroxyl radical than natural ulvan. Secondly, comparing with natural ulvan, high sulfate content ulvans exhibited stronger reducing power. Thirdly, HU4 (sulfate content, 30.8%) and HU5 (sulfate content, 32.8%) showed more pronounce chelating ability on ferrous ion at high concentration than other samples.

Antioxidants↗

An in situ study of photosynthetic oxygen exchange and electron transport rate in the marine macroalga Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta).

Direct comparisons between photosynthetic O(2) evolution rate and electron transport rate (ETR) were made in situ over 24 h using the benthic macroalga Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta), growing and measured at a depth of 1.8 m, where the midday irradiance rose to 400-600 mumol photons m(-2) s(-1). O(2) exchange was measured with a 5-chamber data-logging apparatus and ETR with a submersible pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer (Diving-PAM). Steady-state quantum yield ((F(m)'-F(t))/F(m)') decreased from 0.7 during the morning to 0.45 at midday, followed by some recovery in the late afternoon. At low to medium irradiances (0-300 mumol photons m(-2) s(-1)), there was a significant correlation between O(2) evolution and ETR, but at higher irradiances, ETR continued to increase steadily, while O(2) evolution tended towards an asymptote. However at high irradiance levels (600-1200 mumol photons m(-2) s(-1)) ETR was significantly lowered. Two methods of measuring ETR, based on either diel ambient light levels and fluorescence yields or rapid light curves, gave similar results at low to moderate irradiance levels. Nutrient enrichment (increases in [NO(3) (-)], [NH(4) (+)] and [HPO(4) (2-)] of 5- to 15-fold over ambient concentrations) resulted in an increase, within hours, in photosynthetic rates measured by both ETR and O(2) evolution techniques. At low irradiances, approximately 6.5 to 8.2 electrons passed through PS II during the evolution of one molecule of O(2), i.e., up to twice the theoretical minimum number of four. However, in nutrient-enriched treatments this ratio dropped to 5.1. The results indicate that PAM fluorescence can be used as a good indication of the photosynthetic rate only at low to medium irradiances.

Journal Article↗