Activation of endogenous tolerance to bleaching stress by high salinity in cloned endosymbiotic dinoflagellates from corals.

Background: Large-scale coral bleaching events have become increasingly frequent in recent years. This process occurs when corals are exposed to high temperatures and intense light stress, leading to an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. The ROS buildup prompts corals to expel these symbiotic microalgae, resulting in the corals' discoloration.

Microalgal extract from thermotolerant Coelastrella sp. F50 retards the liver tumor progression by targeting hepatic cancer stem cells.

Microalgae extracts have shown antitumor activities. However, the antitumor mechanism of them is not yet completely clear, especially the effect on cancer stem cells (CSCs). This study aimed to elucidate the antitumor activity and mechanism of microalgal extract from thermotolerant Coelastrella sp.

Mechanisms protect airborne green microalgae during long distance dispersal.

Viable microalgae occur in the air. Whether they can survive the stresses such as UV, desiccation and freezing temperatures at high altitudes during long distance dispersal is rarely studied. If yes, what mechanisms confer the tolerance? Four freshwater airborne green microalgae were isolated from Dongsha Atoll in the South China Sea, classified as Scenedesmus sp.

Disruption of thin- and thick-wall microalgae using high pressure gases: Effects of gas species, pressure and treatment duration on the extraction of proteins and carotenoids.

Industrial scale microalgal cell disruption requires low cost, high efficiency and structural conservation of biomolecules for biorefinery. Many cultivated microalgae have thick walls and these walls are barriers for efficient cell disruption. Until recently, despite the high biodiversity of microalgae, little attention has been paid to thin-wall microalgal species in the natural environment for the production and recovery of valuable biomolecules.

Optimization of a simple, accurate and low cost method for starch quantification in green microalgae.

Background: Lipids and starch are important feedstocks for bioenergy production. Genetic studies on the biosyntheses of lipids and starch in green microalgae have drawn significant attention recently. In these studies, quantifications of lipids and starch are required to clarify the causal effects.

Long Distance Dispersal Potential of Two Seagrasses Thalassia hemprichii and Halophila ovalis.

The wide distribution of many seagrasses may be attributable to exploitation of currents. However, many species have seeds heavier than seawater, limiting surface floating, and thus, deep water becomes a potential barrier between suitable habitats. In this investigation, we studied the dispersal potential of various life history stages of two species of seagrasses, Thalassia hemprichii and Halophila ovalis, at Dongsha Atoll and Penghu Islands in Taiwan Strait, west Pacific.

Cultivation of two thermotolerant microalgae under tropical conditions: Influences of carbon sources and light duration on biomass and lutein productivity in four seasons.

Biomass and lutein productivities of two thermotolerant microalgae were assessed in tropical outdoor conditions in all four seasons. Generally, addition of bicarbonate at 0.2g/L every two days or 2% CO2 did not enhance the productivities compared to the controls, and the productivities in the spring were higher than in the fall.

Production of long chain omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids in tropical areas by a new heat-tolerant microalga Tetraselmis sp. DS3.

Demand for long chain ω-3 fatty acids from non-fish source for vegetarians has increased recently. Marine microalgae are the primary producers of EPA/DHA and promising alternatives for fish oil. Tropical areas have abundant sunlight throughout the year for microalgal cultivation but this practice can be hindered by high temperature.

Exploring the high lipid production potential of a thermotolerant microalga using statistical optimization and semi-continuous cultivation.

A recently isolated thermotolerant microalga Desmodesmus sp. F2 has the traits of becoming potential biodiesel feedstock, such as high growth rate, high lipid content, and quick precipitation. Its overall lipid productivity was 113 mg/L/d when grown under non-optimal conditions using batch cultivation.

AlgaePath: comprehensive analysis of metabolic pathways using transcript abundance data from next-generation sequencing in green algae.

Background: Algae are important non-vascular plants that have many research applications, including high species diversity, biofuel sources, and adsorption of heavy metals and, following processing, are used as ingredients in health supplements. The increasing availability of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data for algae genomes and transcriptomes has made the development of an integrated resource for retrieving gene expression data and metabolic pathway essential for functional analysis and systems biology. In a currently available resource, gene expression profiles and biological pathways are displayed separately, making it impossible to easily search current databases to identify the cellular response mechanisms.

Achieving high lipid productivity of a thermotolerant microalga Desmodesmus sp. F2 by optimizing environmental factors and nutrient conditions.

The optimal conditions for cultivating the thermotolerant lipid-rich microalga Desmodesmus sp. F2 to achieve maximal lipid productivity were determined in this study. The conditions were light intensity, 700μmol/m(2)s; temperature, 35°C; cultivation nitrogen source, nitrate; initial nitrogen level, 6.

Novel seed adaptations of a monocotyledon seagrass in the wavy sea.

Returning to the sea, just like invasion of land, has occurred in many groups of animals and plants. For flowering plants, traits adapted to the terrestrial environments have to change or adopt a new function to allow the plants to survive and prosper in the sea where water motion tends to rotate and move seeds. In this investigation, how seeds of the seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Hydrocharitaceae), a common monocotyledon in the Indo-Pacific, adapt to the wavy environment was studied.

Selection of elite microalgae for biodiesel production in tropical conditions using a standardized platform.

Four thermotolerant microalgae were isolated from tropical Taiwan and classified as members of Desmodesmus based on morphological and molecular studies. A platform was established to evaluate their biodiesel production-related traits, including thermotolerance, lipid productivity, lipid oxidative stability and auto-sedimentation. The findings demonstrated thermotolerance of all four species was at the same level, as all could live at 45 °C for 24 h and 50 °C for 8 h with mortality rates below 5% of cells.

Phototrophic cultivation of a thermo-tolerant Desmodesmus sp. for lutein production: effects of nitrate concentration, light intensity and fed-batch operation.

Four indigenous thermo-tolerant Desmodesmus sp. strains were examined for their ability to produce lutein. Among them, Desmodesmus sp.

Pigment production by a new thermotolerant microalga Coelastrella sp. F50.

Microalgae are good crops to produce natural pigments because of their high growth rates. Tropical zones are better locations than temperate areas for microalgal cultivation because they have longer duration of daylight and more stable temperatures throughout the year, but the high temperatures pose a challenge to microalgal cultivation. A newly isolated thermotolerant microalga produces reddish pigments under environmental stress.

Cultivation of a thermo-tolerant microalga in an outdoor photobioreactor: influences of CO2 and nitrogen sources on the accelerated growth.

A photobioreactor was designed to evaluate the performance of a newly isolated thermo-tolerant microalga Desmodesmus sp. F2 in municipal wastewater under tropical outdoor conditions. The environmental parameters, levels of nutrients, and growth rates were monitored during the cultivations to elucidate the factors that contributed to accelerated growth after lag phase.

Isolation of thermo-tolerant and high lipid content green microalgae: oil accumulation is predominantly controlled by photosystem efficiency during stress treatments in Desmodesmus.

Discoveries of new microalgae with thermo-tolerance, high growth rate, and high lipid content are crucial to algal biodiesel production in tropical and subtropical zones. Four new green microalgae were isolated in southern Taiwan. All four species are members of the genus Desmodesmus under the family Scenedesmaceae based on molecular and morphological analyses.

Autophagy is enhanced and floral development is impaired in AtHVA22d RNA interference Arabidopsis.

Autophagy is an intracellular process in which a portion of cytoplasm is transported into vacuoles for recycling. Physiological roles of autophagy in plants include recycling nutrients during senescence, sustaining life during starvation, and the formation of central digestive vacuoles. The regulation of autophagy and the formation of autophagosomes, spherical double membrane structures containing cytoplasm moving toward vacuoles, are poorly understood.

Coalescent processes and relaxation of selective constraints leading to contrasting genetic diversity at paralogs AtHVA22d and AtHVA22e in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Duplicate loci offer a very powerful system for understanding the complicated genome structure and adaptive evolution of a gene family. In this study, the genetic variation at paralogs AtHVA22d and AtHVA22e, members of an ABA- and stress-inducible gene family, is examined in the selfing Arabidopsis thaliana. Population genetic analysis indicates contrasting levels of nucleotide diversity at overall exon sequence and nonsynonymous sites between AtHVA22d (pi = 0.

Associating protein activities with their genes: rapid identification of a gene encoding a methylglyoxal reductase in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Methylglyoxal is associated with a broad spectrum of biological effects, including cytostatic and cytotoxic activities. It is detoxified by the glyoxylase system or by its reduction to lactaldehyde by methylglyoxal reductase. We show that methylglyoxal reductase (NADPH-dependent) is encoded by GRE2 (YOL151w).

AtHVA22 gene family in Arabidopsis: phylogenetic relationship, ABA and stress regulation, and tissue-specific expression.

HVA22 is an ABA- and stress-inducible gene first isolated from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Homologues of HVA22 have been found in plants, animals, fungi and protozoa, but not in prokaryotes, suggesting that HVA22 plays a unique role in eukaryotes.