Dataset Information

Underwater Light Manipulation by the Benthic Diatom Ctenophora pulchella: From PAR Efficient Collection to UVR Screening.

ABSTRACT: Several species of diatoms, unicellular microalgae which constitute the main component of phytoplankton, are characterized by an impressive photosynthetic efficiency while presenting a noticeable tolerance versus exposure to detrimental UV radiation (UVR). In particular, the growth rate of the araphid diatom Ctenophora pulchella is not significantly affected by harsh treatments with UVR, even in absence of detectable, specific UV-absorbing pigments and even if it is not able to avoid high UV exposure by motility. In this work we applied a multi-disciplinary approach involving numerical computation, photonics, and biological parameters in order to investigate the possible role of the frustule, micro- and nano-patterned silica shell which encloses the cell, in the ability of C. pulchella to efficiently collect photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and to simultaneously screen the protoplasm from UVR. The characterization of the photonic properties of the frustule has been accompanied by in vivo experiments conducted in water in order to investigate its function as optical coupler between light and plastids.

SUBMITTER: De Tommasi E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8621762 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Underwater Light Manipulation by the Benthic Diatom <i>Ctenophora pulchella</i>: From PAR Efficient Collection to UVR Screening.

De Tommasi Edoardo E Rea Ilaria I Ferrara Maria Antonietta MA De Stefano Luca L De Stefano Mario M Al-Handal Adil Y AY Stamenković Marija M Wulff Angela A

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) 20211026 11

Several species of diatoms, unicellular microalgae which constitute the main component of phytoplankton, are characterized by an impressive photosynthetic efficiency while presenting a noticeable tolerance versus exposure to detrimental UV radiation (UVR). In particular, the growth rate of the araphid diatom <i>Ctenophora pulchella</i> is not significantly affected by harsh treatments with UVR, even in absence of detectable, specific UV-absorbing pigments and even if it is not able to avoid high ...[more]

PMID: 34835620

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Project description:BackgroundComplete mitochondrial (mt) genomes have been sequenced for thousands of animals and represent a molecule of choice for many evolutionary studies. Nevertheless, some animal groups have remained under-sampled. Ctenophora (comb jellies) is one such example, with only two complete mt sequences determined hitherto for this phylum, which encompasses ca. 150-200 described species. This lack of data derives from the extremely fast mt evolutionary rate in this lineage, complicating primer design and DNA amplification. Indeed, in the two ctenophore mt genomes sequenced to date, i.e. those of Mnemiopsis leidyi (order Lobata) and Pleurobrachia bachei (order Cydippida), both rRNA and protein coding genes exhibit an extraordinary size reduction and have highly derived sequences. Additionally, all tRNAs, and the atp6 and atp8 genes are absent. In order to determine whether these characteristics are shared by other ctenophores, we obtained the complete mt genomes of three benthic ctenophores belonging to the so far unsampled order of Platyctenida: Coeloplana loyai, Coeloplana yulianicorum and Vallicula multiformis.ResultsThe mt genomes of benthic ctenophores reveal the same peculiarities found in Mnemiopsis and Pleurobrachia, demonstrating that the fast evolutionary rate is a general trait of the ctenophore mt genomes. Our results also indicate that this high evolutionary rate not only affects the nucleotide substitution but also gene rearrangements. Indeed, gene order was highly rearranged among representatives of the different taxonomic orders in which it was close to random, but also quite variable within Platyctenida, in which the genera Coeloplana and Vallicula share only four conserved synteny blocks. However, the two congeneric Coeloplana species display exactly the same gene order. Because of the extreme evolutionary rate, our phylogenetic analyses were unable to resolve the phylogenetic position of ctenophores within metazoans or the relationships among the different Ctenophora orders. Comparative sequence-analyses allowed us to correct the annotation of the Pleurobrachia mt genome, confirming the absence of tRNAs, the presence of both rRNA genes, and the existence of a reassignment of codon TGA from tryptophan to serine for this species.ConclusionsSince Platyctenida is an early diverging lineage among Ctenophora, our findings suggest that the mt traits described above are ancestral characteristics of this phylum.

Dataset Information

Underwater Light Manipulation by the Benthic Diatom Ctenophora pulchella: From PAR Efficient Collection to UVR Screening.

Publications

Underwater Light Manipulation by the Benthic Diatom <i>Ctenophora pulchella</i>: From PAR Efficient Collection to UVR Screening.

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