ABSTRACT: Transcriptome analysis of Oleaginous microalgae from the Peruvian Amazon of the genus Ankistrodesmus, Chlorella, and Scenedesmus Transcriptome
Project description:We demonstrate that low-dose ionizing radiation from X-rays drives metabolic activation in microalgae. We exploited this phenomenon to develop a method for increased lipid yield in stationary phase Chlorella sorokiniana cultures by 25% in just 24 hours, caused by a reproducible metabolic response that includes up-regulation of >30 lipid metabolism genes. This approach avoids the need to modify the strain or cultivation conditions, and does not affect cell viability or biomass.
Project description:Here we fully characterize the genomes of 14 Plasmodium falciparum patient isolates taken recently from the Iquitos regions using genome-scanning, a microarray-based technique which delineates the majority of single-base changes, indels and copy number variants distinguishing the coding regions of two clones. We show that the parasite population in the Peruvian Amazon is highly structured with a limited number of genotypes and low recombination frequencies. Despite the essentially clonal nature of some isolates, we see high frequencies of mutations in subtelomeric highly variable genes and internal var genes indicating mutations arising during self-mating or mitotic replication. The data also reveal that 1 or 2 meioses separate different isolates showing that P. falciparum clones isolated from different individuals in defined geographical regions could be useful in linkage analyses or quantitative trait locus studies. Through pair-wise comparisons of different isolates we discovered point mutations in the apicoplast genome that are close to known mutations that confer clindamycin resistance in other species but which were hitherto unknown in malaria parasites. Subsequent drug sensitivity testing revealed over 100-fold increase clindamycin EC50 in strains harboring one of these mutations. This evidence of clindamycin resistant parasites in the Amazon suggests a shift should be made in health policy away from quinine+clindamycin therapy for malaria in pregnant women and infants and that the development of new lincosamide antibiotics for malaria should be reconsidered. Genome DNA from Peruvian Isolates vs. Reference 3D7
Project description:The use of new natural eco-sustainable products is becoming an interesting option in order to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and increase crop yields. Seaweed extracts are gained major attention as plant biostimulants due to their positive effect on plant-growth as well as on improving plants’ tolerance against abiotic stresses. Among the horticulture crops, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a major fresh vegetable crop in the Mediterranean area, which often requires the use of natural biostimulants to improve both the quantity and quality of production. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of either Chlorella vulgaris or Scenedesmus quadricauda extracts on lettuce seedlings (Lactuca sativa L.) by motoring the induced transcriptomic modifications using a RNASeq approach. The results showed that both C. vulgaris and S. quadricauda extracts positively influence the growth of lettuce seedlings. However, a higher reprogramming of the gene expression occurred in the case of C. vulgaris treatment than in S. quadricauda extract. Considering the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway functional enrichments, the main KEGG terms are in the “Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites”, “Metabolic pathways”, “Carbon metabolism” and “Biosynthesis of amino acids” categories. This study lays the basis for understanding the mechanisms and processes triggered by the use of microalgal extracts, which can represent an easier-to-handle and cheaper method for an eco-sustainable cultivation of lettuce plants than the application of chemicals.