Monoraphidium neglectum is a single-cell green alga of the family Selenastraceae.[1][2] Cells are free-floating (planktonic), fusiform and sometimes arched in outline, with rounded-pointed tips. They are 16–30 μm long by 3–4.5 μm wide. The chloroplast is single per cell and lacks a pyrenoid.[1] It reproduces by forming two, four or eight autospores.[1]
| Monoraphidium neglectum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Chlorophyceae |
| Order: | Sphaeropleales |
| Family: | Selenastraceae |
| Genus: | Monoraphidium |
| Species: | M. neglectum
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| Binomial name | |
| Monoraphidium neglectum Heynig & Krienitz
| |
There is interest in using M. neglectum for the production of biofuels because it can accumulate large quantities (up to 33% of cell dry weight) of triacylglycerides (TAGs).[3]
In 2013, a draft nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast genome was published with an estimated nuclear size of 68 megabytes and approximately 16,761 genes.[4] The nuclear genome is likely diploid.[4] The mitochondrial genome of M. neglectum is 96 kilobytes, which is twice as large as Nannochloropsis gaditana and nearly six times larger than the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, but contains fewer genes.[4][5]
A nuclear transformation technique has been established for M. neglectum using electrotransformation as the method of DNA delivery.[6] The strategy described in this study, including a pretreatment step to weaken the cell wall,[6] might inspire future studies with other microalgae also aiming at stable nuclear genetic transformation using electrotransformation.
The transcriptome of M. neglectum has been sequenced using Illumina HiSeq technology. Using a poly-A fishing and genome-guided approach, the transcriptome was assembled into 20,751 genes (i. e., loci).[7] The dataset encompasses a time-course experiment under conditions of both, high TAG accumulation and subsequent TAG degradation.[7] TAG accumulation and degradation were induced by nitrogen removal (-N conditions) and nitrogen resupply (NR conditions).[7] In total, the transcriptome was sequenced at 12 time points (t0, 7x -N, 4x NR), yielding a comprehensive and high-quality dataset.[7] The raw data (100 nt paired-end reads) has been deposited at SRA under the SRA Study accession number SRP112537.[7] The processed data is available at http://tdbmn.cebitec.uni-bielefeld.de, at which direct gene and BLAST search enable for data mining and to investigate the expression patterns of target genes under autotrophic -N and NR conditions.[7] It is furthermore possible to compare the expression patterns of target genes of M. neglectum with those of other microalgae which were also subjected to -N conditions to induce TAG accumulation.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c Heynig H, Krienitz L (1982). "Monoraphidium neglectum n. sp. sowie einige Bemerkungen zu den Gattungen Monoraphidium, Chlorolobium und Keratococcus (Chlorococcales)". Archiv für Protistenkunde (in German). 125 (1–4): 335–344. doi:10.1016/S0003-9365(82)80032-8.
- ^ See the NCBI webpage on Monoraphidium. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
- ^ Jaeger D, Pilger C, Hachmeister H, Oberländer E, Wördenweber R, Wichmann J, Mussgnug JH, Huser T, Kruse O (October 2016). "Label-free in vivo analysis of intracellular lipid droplets in the oleaginous microalga Monoraphidium neglectum by coherent Raman scattering microscopy". Scientific Reports. 6: 35340. doi:10.1038/srep35340. PMC 5073319. PMID 27767024.
- ^ a b c Bogen C, Al-Dilaimi A, Albersmeier A, Wichmann J, Grundmann M, Rupp O, Lauersen KJ, Blifernez-Klassen O, Kalinowski J, Goesmann A, Mussgnug JH, Kruse O (December 2013). "Reconstruction of the lipid metabolism for the microalga Monoraphidium neglectum from its genome sequence reveals characteristics suitable for biofuel production". BMC Genomics. 14: 926. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-14-926. PMC 3890519. PMID 24373495.
- ^ Radakovits R, Jinkerson RE, Fuerstenberg SI, Tae H, Settlage RE, Boore JL, Posewitz MC (February 2012). "Draft genome sequence and genetic transformation of the oleaginous alga Nannochloropis gaditana". Nature Communications. 3: 686. doi:10.1038/ncomms1688. PMC 3293424. PMID 22353717.
- ^ a b Jaeger D, Hübner W, Huser T, Mussgnug JH, Kruse O (May 2017). "Nuclear transformation and functional gene expression in the oleaginous microalga Monoraphidium neglectum". Journal of Biotechnology. 249: 10–15. doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2017.03.011. PMID 28302588.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jaeger D, Winkler A, Mussgnug JH, Kalinowski J, Goesmann A, Kruse O (2017-08-14). "Monoraphidium neglectum reveal a model for triacylglycerol and lipid hyperaccumulation". Biotechnology for Biofuels. 10: 197. doi:10.1186/s13068-017-0882-1. PMC 5556983. PMID 28814974.