Comparative genome and transcriptome analysis of diatom, Skeletonema costatum, reveals evolution of genes for harmful algal bloom

Atsushi Ogura*, Yuki Akizuki, Hiroaki Imoda, Katsuhiko Mineta, Takashi Gojobori, Satoshi Nagai

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Diatoms play a great role in carbon fixation with about 20% of the whole fixation in the world. However, harmful algal bloom as known as red tide is a major problem in environment and fishery industry. Even though intensive studies have been conducted so far, the molecular mechanism behind harmful algal bloom was not fully understood. There are two major diatoms have been sequenced, but more diatoms should be examined at the whole genome level, and evolutionary genome studies were required to understand the landscape of molecular mechanism of the harmful algal bloom. Results: Here we sequenced the genome of Skeletonema costatum, which is the dominant diatom in Japan causing a harmful algal bloom, and also performed RNA-sequencing analysis for conditions where harmful algal blooms often occur. As results, we found that both evolutionary genomic and comparative transcriptomic studies revealed genes for oxidative stress response and response to cytokinin is a key for the proliferation of the diatom. Conclusions: Diatoms causing harmful algal blooms have gained multi-copy of genes related to oxidative stress response and response to cytokinin and obtained an ability to intensive gene expression at the blooms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number765
JournalBMC genomics
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 22 2018

Keywords

  • Genome
  • Harmful algal bloom
  • Oxidative stress response
  • Red tide
  • Response to cytokinin
  • Transcriptome

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Genetics

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