A codon-optimized bacterial antibiotic gene used as selection marker for stable nuclear transformation in the marine red alga Pyropia yezoensis.

Marine macroalgae play an important role in marine coastal ecosystems and are widely used as sea vegetation foodstuffs and for industrial purposes. Therefore, there have been increased demands for useful species and varieties of these macroalgae. However, genetic transformation in macroalgae has not yet been established.

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of sodium pump genes in the marine red alga Porphyra yezoensis.

Sodium pumps (EC 3.6.3.

Heterologous activation of the Porphyra tenera HSP70 promoter in Bangiophycean algal cells.

Porphyra has attracted great attention for its biological and industrial importance. However, establishment of a stable nuclear transformation has not yet been achieved in these organisms, which impedes the molecular biological study and the development of a molecular breeding method for them. Toward establishing the stable transformation, we have recently developed an efficient transient gene expression system in Bangiophycean algae, in which the HSP70 promoter from P.

Transient gene expression system established in Porphyra yezoensis is widely applicable in Bangiophycean algae.

The establishment of transient gene expression systems in the marine red macroalga Porphyra yezoensis has been useful for the molecular analysis of cellular processes in this species. However, there has been no successful report about the expression of foreign genes in other red macroalgae, which has impeded the broader understanding of the molecular biology of these species. We therefore examined whether the P.