Synchrotron X-rays reveal the modes of Fe binding and trace metal storage in the brown algae Laminaria digitata and Ectocarpus siliculosus.

ABSTRACT: Iron is accumulated symplastically in kelp in a non-ferritin core that seems to be a general feature of brown algae. Microprobe studies show that Fe binding depends on tissue type. The sea is generally an iron-poor environment and brown algae were recognized in recent years for having a unique, ferritin-free iron storage system. Kelp (Laminaria digitata) and the filamentous brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus were investigated using X-ray microprobe imaging and nanoprobe X-ray fluorescence tomography to explore the localization of iron, arsenic, strontium, and zinc, and micro-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (μXANES) to study Fe binding. Fe distribution in frozen hydrated environmental samples of both algae shows higher accumulation in the cortex with symplastic subcellular localization.

SUBMITTER: Mijovilovich A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10588612 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature