title: Porphyra (Bangiophyceae) Transcriptomes Provide Insights Into Red Algal Development And Metabolism.
abstract: The red seaweed Porphyra (Bangiophyceae) and related Bangiales have global economic importance. Here, we report the analysis of a comprehensive transcriptome comprising ca. 4.7 million expressed sequence tag (EST) reads from P. umbilicalis (L.) J. Agardh and P. purpurea (Roth) C. Agardh (ca. 980 Mbp of data generated using 454 FLX pyrosequencing). These ESTs were isolated from the haploid gametophyte (blades from both species) and diploid conchocelis stage (from P. purpurea). In a bioinformatic analysis, only 20% of the contigs were found to encode proteins of known biological function. Comparative analysis of predicted protein functions in mesophilic (including Porphyra) and extremophilic red algae suggest that the former has more putative functions related to signaling, membrane transport processes, and establishment of protein complexes. These enhanced functions may reflect general mesophilic adaptations. A near-complete repertoire of genes encoding histones and ribosomal proteins was identified, with some differentially regulated between the blade and conchocelis stage in P. purpurea. This finding may reflect specific regulatory processes associated with these distinct phases of the life history. Fatty acid desaturation patterns, in combination with gene expression profiles, demonstrate differences from seed plants with respect to the transport of fatty acid/lipid among subcellular compartments and the molecular machinery of lipid assembly. We also recovered a near-complete gene repertoire for enzymes involved in the formation of sterols and carotenoids, including candidate genes for the biosynthesis of lutein. Our findings provide key insights into the evolution, development, and biology of Porphyra, an important lineage of red algae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Cheong Xin
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 04469, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Blouin
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, 06340, USA.
authors.forename: Yunyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zäuner
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, 94958, USA.
authors.forename: Simon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Prochnik
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, 94958, USA.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, 06340, USA.
authors.forename: Senjie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benning
authors.affiliation: Institut für Allgemeine Botanik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lohr
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Stamford, Connecticut, 06901, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yarish
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gantt
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Arthur R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, 27834, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: W Stiller
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 04469, USA.
authors.forename: Susan H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Brawley
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Debashish
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
keywords: Bangiales; Porphyra; Rhodophyta; cellulose synthase; extremophile; fatty acid synthesis; histones; isoprenoid synthesis; life history; mesophile