genome of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana: Ecology, evolution, and metabolism

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 306; no. 5693; pp. 79 - 86
• Main Authors: Armbrust, E.V, Berges, J.A, Bowler, C, Green, B.R, Martinez, D, Putnam, N.H, Zhou, S, Allen, A.E, Apt, K.E, Bechner, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 01.10.2004; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: active transport; Adaptation, Physiological; Algae; Algal Proteins - chemistry; Algal Proteins - genetics; Algal Proteins - physiology; Animals; Bacillariophyceae; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Evolution; Cell Nucleus - genetics; chloroplast DNA; chromosome mapping; Chromosomes; Coding; Diatoms; Diatoms - chemistry; Diatoms - cytology; Diatoms - genetics; Diatoms - metabolism; DNA - genetics; Ecosystem; Electrodes; Energy Metabolism; Enzymes; Eukaryotic cells; Evolution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genes. Genome; Genetic aspects; Genome; Genomes; Genomics; Iron - metabolism; Light; Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes - chemistry; Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes - genetics; Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes - metabolism; lipogenesis; Marine; Marine ecology; Metabolism; microalgae; Mitochondria - genetics; mitochondrial DNA; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular Biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitrogen - metabolism; nucleotide sequences; Photosynthesis; plant physiology; Plants; Plastids; Plastids - genetics; polyunsaturated fatty acids; Proteins; Research Article; Restriction Mapping; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; silicic acid; Silicic Acid - metabolism; Symbiosis; Thalassiosira; Thalassiosira pseudonana; Urea - metabolism; urea cycle enzymes; World Oceans; Thalassiosira pseudonana; Heterokontophyta; Mitochondria; Bacillariophyta; Gene; Algae; Chromosome; Plastid; Genome; Metabolism; Structure function relationship; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1101156

Diatoms are unicellular algae with plastids acquired by secondary endosymbiosis. They are responsible for ~ 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.