Evidence for a regulatory role of diatom silicon transporters in cellular silicon responses.

ABSTRACT: The utilization of silicon by diatoms has both global and small-scale implications, from oceanic primary productivity to nanotechnological applications of their silica cell walls. The sensing and transport of silicic acid are key aspects of understanding diatom silicon utilization. At low silicic acid concentrations (<30 μM), transport mainly occurs through silicic acid transport proteins (SITs), and at higher concentrations it occurs through diffusion. Previous analyses of the SITs were done either in heterologous systems or without a distinction between individual SITs. In the present study, we examined individual SITs in Thalassiosira pseudonana in terms of transcript and protein abundance in response to different silicic acid regimes and examined knockdown lines to evaluate the role of

SUBMITTER: Shrestha RP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4279021 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature