Collaborative Research: Development of sexual cycles in marine picoprasinophytes based on molecular homologies with Chlamydomonas sexual cycles

这个跨学科的研究项目涉及将在原生植物中探索的两个首要目标，原生植物被认为代表了导致绿色谱系(包括所有陆地植物)的祖先藻类。首先，将检验这一假设，即同源蛋白异二聚化代表绿藻单倍体/二倍体转变的保守特征。其次，将根据海洋微孢子藻Ostreoins和Micromonas与模式绿藻衣藻与性别相关的基因天赋之间的明显同源性，开发自然和/或基因工程的有性周期。拟孔藻类的基因组很小(迄今已测序4个)，由于它们广泛分布在进行光合作用的海洋环境中，因此是密集生态分析的对象。这两个合作实验室将进行密集的本科生和研究生培训以及博士后学者的指导。针对弱势九年级学生的WISE计划将专注于海洋生态系统、藻类生态和进化，以及通过在当地水域进行实践工作的分子生物学基础。这项计划的目标是让年轻女性在科学领域茁壮成长。总体而言，这一合作项目将加深我们对在陆地植物进化过程中增选和扩大的藻类同源蛋白“工具包”的理解，并促进对生态上至关重要的海洋生物群体的研究。

This interdisciplinary research project addresses two overarching objectives that will be explored in the prasinophytes, a group thought to represent the ancestral alga that gave rise to the green lineage (which includes all land plants). First, the hypothesis will be tested that homeoprotein heterodimerization represents a conserved feature of haploid/diploid transitions in green algae. Second, natural and/or genetically engineered sexual cycles will be developed for the marine picoprasinophyte algae Ostreococcus and Micromonas based on apparent homologies between their sex-related gene endowment and the model green alga Chlamydomonas. The pikoprasinophytes have small genomes (4 sequenced to date) and are the subject of intensive ecological analysis because of their widespread distribution in the marine environments where they perform photosynthesis. The two collaborative laboratories will engage in intensive undergraduate and graduate student training as well as mentoring of postdoctoral scholars. The WISE program for disadvantaged 9th graders will focus on marine ecosystems, algal ecology and evolution as well as basics of molecular biology via hands-on work in local waters. The goal of this program is to keep young women thriving in the sciences. Overall this collaborative project will deepen our understandings of the algal homeoprotein "toolkits" co-opted and expanded during the evolution of land plants, and facilitate studies of an ecologically vital group of marine organisms.