THE USE OF <i>CHLAMYDOMONAS</i> (CHLOROPHYTA: VOLVOCALES) AS A MODEL ALGAL SYSTEM FOR GENOME STUDIES AND THE ELUCIDATION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESSES

Davies, John P.; Grossman, Arthur R.

doi:10.1046/j.1529-8817.1998.340907.x

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…In this context the use of model organisms, which allow for rapid assessment of pollutants in freshwater, can be of advantage. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been shown to be one of those especially suited organisms for different kinds of studies [4, 5]. Previous investigations showed C. reinhardtii to be sensitive to copper, nickel and zinc [6,7,8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and pentachlorophenol on photosynthesis and motility in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in short-term exposure experiments

Danilov

Ekelund

2001

BMC Ecol

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Background: Heavy metals, especially copper, nickel, lead and zinc, have adverse effects on terrestrial and in aquatic environments. However, their impact can vary depending on the nature of organisms. Taking into account the ability of heavy metals to accumulate in sediments, extended knowledge of their effects on aquatic biota is needed. In this context the use of model organisms (often unicellular), which allows for rapid assessment of pollutants in freshwater, can be of advantage. Pentachlorophenol has been extensively used for decades as a bleaching agent by pulpand paper industry. Pentachlorophenol tends to accumulate in the nature. We aim to determine if photosynthesis and motility can be used as sensitive physiological parameters in toxicological studies of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a motile green unicellular alga. It is discussed if photosynthesis and motility can be used as sensitive physiological parameters in toxicological studies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and pentachlorophenol on photosynthesis and motility in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in short-term exposure experiments

Danilov

Ekelund

2001

BMC Ecol

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“…Over the past four decades, many fundamental insights into the structure, function, assembly, and regulation of the photosynthetic apparatus have come from studies of Chlamydomonas, which offer several advantages for the genetic dissection of eukaryotic photosynthesis (for review, see Davies and Grossman, 1998; Hippler et al, 1998;Grossman, 2000;Rochaix, 2001). First and foremost, photosynthesis is fully dispensable in Chlamydomonas, as cells can grow heterotrophically in the dark using acetate as a sole carbon source.…”

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Functional Genomics of Eukaryotic Photosynthesis Using Insertional Mutagenesis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

et al. 2005

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The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a widely used model organism for studies of oxygenic photosynthesis in eukaryotes. Here we describe the development of a resource for functional genomics of photosynthesis using insertional mutagenesis of the Chlamydomonas nuclear genome. Chlamydomonas cells were transformed with either of two plasmids conferring zeocin resistance, and insertional mutants were selected in the dark on acetate-containing medium to recover lightsensitive and nonphotosynthetic mutants. The population of insertional mutants was subjected to a battery of primary and secondary phenotypic screens to identify photosynthesis-related mutants that were pigment deficient, light sensitive, nonphotosynthetic, or hypersensitive to reactive oxygen species. Approximately 9% of the insertional mutants exhibited 1 or more of these phenotypes. Molecular analysis showed that each mutant line contains an average of 1.4 insertions, and genetic analysis indicated that approximately 50% of the mutations are tagged by the transforming DNA. Flanking DNA was isolated from the mutants, and sequence data for the insertion sites in 50 mutants are presented and discussed.As with other model organisms, the availability of genome sequence data is revolutionizing and revitalizing research into the biology of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Ledford et al., 2005). Over the past four decades, many fundamental insights into the structure, function, assembly, and regulation of the photosynthetic apparatus have come from studies of Chlamydomonas, which offer several advantages for the genetic dissection of eukaryotic photosynthesis (for review, see Davies and Grossman, 1998; Hippler et al., 1998;Grossman, 2000;Rochaix, 2001). First and foremost, photosynthesis is fully dispensable in Chlamydomonas, as cells can grow heterotrophically in the dark using acetate as a sole carbon source. Cells grown in the dark, however, still synthesize and assemble a fully functional photosynthetic apparatus. This allows the isolation and analysis of mutants that are unable to perform photosynthesis, and lightsensitive mutants can be maintained in complete darkness. Because Chlamydomonas is predominantly maintained in a haploid form, it is not necessary to generate homozygous nuclear mutants, and mutants affecting photosynthesis can be screened immediately following mutagenesis. Chlamydomonas has an easily controlled and rapid sexual cycle (approximately 2 weeks) with the possibility of tetrad analysis, which facilitates genetic analysis. Its rapid cell-doubling time (approximately 10 h) and microbial lifestyle mean that it is easy to grow homogeneous cultures on any scale, simplifying physiological and biochemical characterization in comparison to multicellular land plants (Ledford et al., 2005). By way of example, the application of inhibitors and generators of various types of reactive oxygen species results in uniform uptake of the chemical by each cell. In land plants, multicellularity leads to differential ...

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“…We have exploited the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to examine P starvation responses in a photosynthetic eukaryote (5-7). Many of the powerful genetic and molecular tools used to elucidate biological processes in S. cerevisiae also can be applied to C. reinhardtii (14,15). Furthermore, the identification of C. reinhardtii regulatory elements is likely to provide clues important for defining analogous elements in the angiosperm cDNA and genomic sequence databases.…”

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Psr1, a nuclear localized protein that regulates phosphorus metabolism in Chlamydomonas

Wykoff

Grossman

Weeks

et al. 1999

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Understanding the ways in which phosphorus metabolism is regulated in photosynthetic eukaryotes is critical for optimizing crop productivity and managing aquatic ecosystems in which phosphorus can be a major source of pollution. Here we describe a gene encoding a regulator of phosphorus metabolism, designated Psr1 (phosphorus starvation response), from a photosynthetic eukaryote. The Psr1 protein is critical for acclimation of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to phosphorus starvation. The N-terminal half of Psr1 contains a region similar to myb DNA-binding domains and the C-terminal half possesses glutamine-rich sequences characteristic of transcriptional activators. The level of Psr1 increases at least 10-fold upon phosphate starvation, and immunocytochemical studies demonstrate that this protein is nuclear-localized under both nutrientreplete and phosphorus-starvation conditions. Finally, Psr1 and angiosperm proteins have domains that are similar, suggesting a possible role for Psr1 homologs in the control of phosphorus metabolism in vascular plants. With the identification of regulators such as Psr1 it may become possible to engineer photosynthetic organisms for more efficient utilization of phosphorus and to establish better practices for the management of agricultural lands and natural ecosystems. P hosphorus (P) is a major component of nucleic acids and phospholipids and is present in the biosphere as the oxidized anion, phosphate (P i ). P i is not easily accessible to most plants and microbes because it forms insoluble precipitates with common cations or is covalently bound to organic molecules (1-3). Crop yields are limited by P availability, and, consequently, P, in the form of P i , is an important component of commercial fertilizers. A considerable proportion of this ''supplementary'' P i is leached from agricultural fields and deposited into aquatic ecosystems, triggering rapid algal proliferation (algal blooms), which leads to eutrophication and fish kills (2). The sustainability of agricultural yields and quality of aquatic ecosystems would benefit from more efficient acquisition and utilization of P. Efficient P utilization by crop plants would decrease our dependence on rock P i reserves, the mining of which has serious economic and ecological consequences (3). Thus, a more complete understanding of P utilization in plants has significant implications with respect to both the environment and world agriculture.P limitation triggers a suite of ''starvation responses'' in most organisms. These responses can be divided into two categories, the P-specific responses and the general responses (4-6). The P-specific responses promote efficient mobilization and acquisition of P from extracellular and intracellular stores (e.g., synthesis and secretion of phosphatases with broad substrate specificity, accumulation of high affinity P i transporters) (5, 7). The general responses allow for long-term survival by coordinating the metabolism of the cell to nutrient availability and growth po...

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THE USE OF CHLAMYDOMONAS (CHLOROPHYTA: VOLVOCALES) AS A MODEL ALGAL SYSTEM FOR GENOME STUDIES AND THE ELUCIDATION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESSES

Cited by 29 publications

References 96 publications

Effects of Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and pentachlorophenol on photosynthesis and motility in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in short-term exposure experiments

Effects of Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and pentachlorophenol on photosynthesis and motility in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in short-term exposure experiments

Functional Genomics of Eukaryotic Photosynthesis Using Insertional Mutagenesis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Psr1, a nuclear localized protein that regulates phosphorus metabolism in Chlamydomonas

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