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

Abstract

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.

Spirulina platensis and Phaeodactylum tricornutum as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds: Health implications and applications in the food industry

“…The polysaccharide backbone comprises a mannan chain equipped with sulfate ester groups. Although the configuration of all glycosidic linkages has not been fully elucidated, optical rotation measurements suggest that the polysaccharide predominantly contains α-linked residues (Le Costaouec et al, 2017;Russo et al, 2023). Polysaccharides extracted from microalgae, such as agar, carrageenans, and alginates, are easily extractable and serve as potential bioactive components in functional foods.…”

“…Diatoms belonging to the class Bacillariophyta are the major photosynthetic and unicellular microalgae in the oceans. The history of diatom research dates back more than 200 years, with microscopic studies revealing the marvelous structures of the silica cell walls of diatoms (Russo et al, 2023).…”

Exchange or Eliminate: The Secrets of Algal-Bacterial Relationships

“…Bacteria have the capacity to either promote or inhibit their growth and proliferation [ 135 , 136 ], and diatoms can also change their metabolic profile in response to bacteria [ 137 ]. Among these microalgae, the pennate Phaeodactylum tricornutum , with its diverse morphotypes, alongside the centric Thalassiosira pseudonana , has emerged as a model for diatom research [ 10 , 138 , 139 ]. The focus here will be on P. tricornutum, as it was used as a model in many algal-bacterial interactions.…”