Comparative Gene Analysis Focused on Silica Cell Wall Formation: Identification of Diatom-Specific SET Domain Protein Methyltransferases.

Silica cell walls of diatoms have attracted attention as a source of nanostructured functional materials and have immense potential for a variety of applications. Previous studies of silica cell wall formation have identified numerous involved proteins, but most of these proteins are species-specific and are not conserved among diatoms. However, because the basic process of diatom cell wall formation is common to all diatom species, ubiquitous proteins and molecules will reveal the mechanisms of cell wall formation.