Diatom phytochromes integrate the entire visible light spectra for photosensing in marine environments

Duchêne, Carole; Bouly, Jean-Pierre; Karlusich, Juan José Pierella; Sellés, Julien; Bailleul, Benjamin; Bowler, Chris; d’Alcalà, Maurizio Ribera; Falciatore, Angela; Jaubert, Marianne

doi:10.1101/2023.01.25.525482

Cited by 2 publications

References 38 publications

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Phytochromes Enable Social Behavior in Marine Diatoms

Font-Muñoz,

Jaubert,

Sourisseau

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The phytochrome superfamily, a group of proteins that enable some organisms to detect changes in light intensity and quality, is widespread in terrestrial and marine microbes, fungi, algae, and plants. In terrestrial plants, these photosensory receptors monitor variations in the light environment by sensing red (R) and far-red (FR) regions of the spectrum and trigger important developmental, metabolic, and physiological responses. However, the role of these photosensors in marine microbes, living in environments where, due to absorption of water molecules R and FR radiation does not penetrate beyond the upper few meters, remains controversial. Here, we investigate the role of phytochromes in light perception of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and their involvement in light-driven collective behavior. We perform experiments comparing the social conduct of wild-type and phytochrome knock-out strains to different light wavelengths. Our results show that cell movements become synchronized in a coordinated wobbling dance upon activation of their phytochromes by blue or far-red light, therefore, demonstrating the key role of phytochrome in light-mediated diatom collective behaviour. Furthermore, our experiments suggest that the observed phytochrome-mediated concerted dance implies a form of intercell communication, proposedly mediated by variable R/FR autofluorescence emission in the frequency range of diatom wobbling movements. Our findings provide new insights into communication pathways in aquatic microorganisms and emphasize the importance of social conduct in the sea at all ecological levels.

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Phytochromes Enable Social Behavior in Marine Diatoms

Font-Muñoz,

Jaubert,

Sourisseau

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Phaeodactylum tricornutum: An established model species for diatom molecular research and an emerging chassis for algal synthetic biology

Russo,

Rogato,

Jaubert

et al. 2023

Journal of Phycology

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Diatoms are prominent and highly diverse microalgae in aquatic environments. Compared with other diatom species, Phaeodactylum tricornutum is an “atypical diatom” displaying three different morphotypes and lacking the usual silica shell. Despite being of limited ecological relevance, its ease of growth in the laboratory and well‐known physiology, alongside the steady increase in genome‐enabled information coupled with effective tools for manipulating gene expression, have meant it has gained increased recognition as a powerful experimental model for molecular research on diatoms. We here present a brief overview of how over the last 25 years P. tricornutum has contributed to the unveiling of fundamental aspects of diatom biology, while also emerging as a new tool for algal process engineering and synthetic biology.

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Diatom phytochromes integrate the entire visible light spectra for photosensing in marine environments

Cited by 2 publications

References 38 publications

Phytochromes Enable Social Behavior in Marine Diatoms

Phytochromes Enable Social Behavior in Marine Diatoms

Phaeodactylum tricornutum: An established model species for diatom molecular research and an emerging chassis for algal synthetic biology

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