The Genome of the Diatom Thalassiosira Pseudonana : Ecology, Evolution, and Metabolism

2004/09/30 by E. Virginia Armbrust, John A. Berges, Chris Bowler +42 · 18 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · Materials Science · #Diatoms and Algae Research #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology

paper · doi:10.1126/science.1101156

openalex publication_date 2004/09/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Diatoms are unicellular algae with plastids acquired by secondary endosymbiosis. They are responsible for approximately 20% of global carbon fixation. We report the 34 million-base pair draft nuclear genome of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana and its 129 thousand-base pair plastid and 44 thousand-base pair mitochondrial genomes. Sequence and optical restriction mapping revealed 24 diploid nuclear chromosomes. We identified novel genes for silicic acid transport and formation of silica-based cell walls, high-affinity iron uptake, biosynthetic enzymes for several types of polyunsaturated fatty acids, use of a range of nitrogenous compounds, and a complete urea cycle, all attributes that allow diatoms to prosper in aquatic environments.

Cited by

• The Transcriptome and Proteome of the Diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana Reveal a Diverse Phosphorus Stress Response
• Silica Biomineralisation in Diatoms: The Model Organism Thalassiosira pseudonana
• Morphological and transcriptomic evidence for ammonium induction of sexual reproduction in Thalassiosira pseudonana and other centric diatoms
• All New Faces of Diatoms: Potential Source of Nanomaterials and Beyond
• The origin of plastids
• Designer diatom episomes delivered by bacterial conjugation
• Evolution and Diversity of Plant Cell Walls: From Algae to Flowering Plants
• Protein import pathways in ?complex? chloroplasts derived from secondary endosymbiosis involving a red algal ancestor
• The Puzzle of Plastid Evolution
• Do Red and Green Make Brown?: Perspectives on Plastid Acquisitions within Chromalveolates
• The genome of Prasinoderma coloniale unveils the existence of a third phylum within green plants
• Algal endosymbionts as vectors of horizontal gene transfer in photosynthetic eukaryotes
• The Origin of GPCRs: Identification of Mammalian like Rhodopsin, Adhesion, Glutamate and Frizzled GPCRs in Fungi
• Independent HHsearch, Needleman-Wunsch-Based, and Motif Analyses Reveal the Overall Hierarchy for Most of the G Protein-Coupled Receptor Families
• Peroxisome diversity and evolution
• Contributions of anoxygenic and oxygenic phototrophy and chemolithotrophy to carbon and oxygen fluxes in aquatic environments
• Ancient Recruitment by Chromists of Green Algal Genes Encoding Enzymes for Carotenoid Biosynthesis
• Thalassiosira [wikipedia]