Unicellular marine algae have promise for providing sustainable and scalable biofuel feedstocks, although no single species has emerged as a preferred organism. Moreover, adequate molecular and genetic resources prerequisite for the rational engineering of marine algal feedstocks are lacking for most candidate species. Heterokonts of the genus Nannochloropsis naturally have high cellular oil content and are already in use for industrial production of high-value lipid products. First success in applying reverse genetics by targeted gene replacement makes Nannochloropsis oceanica an attractive model to investigate the cell and molecular biology and biochemistry of this fascinating organism group. Here we present the assembly of the 28.7 Mb genome of N. oceanica CCMP1779. RNA sequencing data from nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-depleted growth conditions support a total of 11,973 genes, of which in addition to automatic annotation some were manually inspected to predict the biochemical repertoire for this organism. Among others, more than 100 genes putatively related to lipid metabolism, 114 predicted transcription factors, and 109 transcriptional regulators were annotated. Comparison of the N. oceanica CCMP1779 gene repertoire with the recently published N. gaditana genome identified 2,649 genes likely specific to N. oceanica CCMP1779. Many of these N. oceanica–specific genes have putative orthologs in other species or are supported by transcriptional evidence. However, because similarity-based annotations are limited, functions of most of these species-specific genes remain unknown. Aside from the genome sequence and its analysis, protocols for the transformation of N. oceanica CCMP1779 are provided. The availability of genomic and transcriptomic data for Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779, along with efficient transformation protocols, provides a blueprint for future detailed gene functional analysis and genetic engineering of Nannochloropsis species by a growing academic community focused on this genus.

The crack in a double cantilever beam is the most fundamental one-dimensional fracture problem. It has caused considerable confusions due to its in-depth subtleness and complex entanglement with different theories and numerical simulations. The present paper presents completely analytical theories based on Euler and Timoshenko beam theories using a brand new approach which reveals the hidden mechanics of the problem. Orthogonal pairs of pure modes are found and used to partition mixed modes. The developed theories are extensively validated against numerical simulations using finite element methods. Moreover, the fracture mode partition space is thoroughly investigated and crack tip running contact is found which results in a region of pure mode II. The theories are finally applied to general one-dimensional fracture in beams and axisymmetric plates.

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Isoprene is a well-studied volatile hemiterpene that protects plants from abiotic stress through mechanisms that are not fully understood. The antioxidant and membrane stabilizing potential of isoprene are the two most commonly invoked mechanisms. However, isoprene also affects phenylpropanoid metabolism, suggesting an additional role as a signalling molecule. In this study, microarray-based gene expression profiling reveals transcriptional reprogramming of Arabidopsis thaliana plants fumigated for 24 h with a physiologically relevant concentration of isoprene. Functional enrichment analysis of fumigated plants revealed enhanced heat- and light-stress-responsive processes in response to isoprene. Isoprene induced a network enriched in ERF and WRKY transcription factors, which may play a role in stress tolerance. The isoprene-induced up-regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes was specifically confirmed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. These results support a role for isoprene as a signalling molecule, in addition to its possible roles as an antioxidant and membrane thermoprotectant.