Phylogenetic positioning of the Antarctic alga Prasiola crispa (Trebouxiophyceae) using organellar genomes and their structural analysis

Abstract

Antarctica is one of the most difficult habitats for sustaining life on earth; organisms that live there have developed different strategies for survival. Among these organisms is the green alga Prasiola crispa, belonging to the class Trebouxiophyceae. The literature on P. crispa taxonomy is scarce, and many gaps in the evolutionary relationship with its closest relatives remain. The goal of this study was to analyze the evolutionary relationships between P. crispa and other green algae using plastid and mitochondrial genomes. In addition, we analyzed the synteny conservation of these genomes of P. crispa with those of closely related species. Based on the plastid genome, P. crispa grouped with Prasiolopsis sp. SAG 84.81, another Trebouxiophyceaen species from the Prasiola clade. Based on the mitochondrial genome analysis, P. crispa grouped with other Trebouxiophyceaen species but had a basal position. The structure of the P. crispa chloroplast genome had low synteny with Prasiolopsis sp. SAG 84.81, despite some conserved gene blocks. The same was observed in the mitochondrial genome compared with Coccomyxa subellipsoidea C-169. We were able to establish the phylogenetic position of P. crispa with other species of Trebouxiophyceae using its genomes. In addition, we described the plasticity of these genomes using a structural analysis. The plastid and mitochondrial genomes of P. crispa will be useful for further genetic studies, phylogenetic analysis and resource protection of P. crispa as well as for further phylogenetic analysis of Trebouxiophyceaen green algae.

Comparison of Auxenochlorella protothecoides and Chlorella spp. Chloroplast Genomes: Evidence for Endosymbiosis and Horizontal Virus-like Gene Transfer

“…The availability of algal and higher plant chloroplast genome sequences has enhanced the understanding of their evolutionary relationships by strengthening the reliability of taxonomic classification [ 29 ] and facilitating reassessment of previous species classifications [ 30 ] to reveal new insights into global genomic and evolutionary relationships. Recent genome analyses have revealed subspecies divergence among C. sorokiniana variants [ 31 ], also contributing to a better understanding of gene composition, as well as photosynthetic and metabolic pathways conducive to genetic modification [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Morphological and habitat characteristics of Prasiola fluviatilis (Prasiolales, Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) from the Altai Mountains, Mongolia

“…Species of Prasiolia are macroscopic, benthic green algae and distributed in freshwater (Rodríguez & Jiménez, 2005;Kim et al, 2015), marine (Moniz et al, 2012), and terrestrial habitats (Rindi et al, 1999(Rindi et al, , 2004. They seem to be notable primary producers specifi cally in extremely harsh Arctic, Antarctic, and subarctic environments with very low temperature, freeze and thaw cycles, severe wind events, nutrient limitations, low humidity, and desiccation (Rindi et al, 1999, Sherwood et al, 2000Heesch et al, 2016;Klochkova et al, 2017;Broady, 1989;McKnight et al, 1998, Kováčik & Pereira, 2001, Carvalho et al, 2017Jacob et al, 1992). The species of this genus could play a role in supplying organic matter and increasing nitrogen content, which contributes to soil formation in deglaciated areas (Kaštovská et al, 2005).…”

Entomotoxic Activity of Prasiola crispa (Antarctic Algae) in Nauphoeta cinerea Cockroaches: Identification of Main Steroidal Compounds

“…Prasiola crispa (Lightfoot) Meneghini (Figure 1), is a macroscopic terrestrial green algae which thalli of the pseuparenchymatic laminar form reaches 1 × 0.5 cm, forming a mass of 2.0 to 6 cm thickness, being the Antarctica´smost studied algae from the ecological perspective. This algae grows abundantly in terrestrial habitats of meltwater zones [8,9,10], and it is associated with marine bird colonies and seal aggregations areas [11]. Seaweeds, such as the Prasiolales order, contain a considerable quantity of phytosterols, however, few studies about its biological effects are found in the literature [12,13,14], especially those related to their pharmacological and toxicological potentials.…”