Static allometry of unicellular green algae: scaling of cellular surface area and volume in the genus Micrasterias (Desmidiales).

The surface area-to-volume ratio of cells is one of the key factors affecting fundamental biological processes and, thus, fitness of unicellular organisms. One of the general models for allometric increase in surface-to-volume scaling involves fractal-like elaboration of cellular surfaces. However, specific data illustrating this pattern in natural populations of the unicellular organisms have not previously been available. This study shows that unicellular green algae of the genus Micrasterias (Desmidiales) have positive allometric surface-to-volume scaling caused by changes in morphology of individual species, especially in the degree of cell lobulation. This allometric pattern was also detected within most of the cultured and natural populations analysed. Values of the allometric S:V scaling within individual populations were closely correlated to the phylogenetic structure of the clade. In addition, they were related to species-specific cellular morphology. Individual populations differed in their allometric patterns, and their position in the allometric space was strongly correlated with the degree of allometric S:V scaling. This result illustrates that allometric shape patterns are an important correlate of the capacity of individual populations to compensate for increases in their cell volumes by increasing the surface area. However, variation in allometric patterns was not associated with phylogenetic structure. This indicates that the position of the populations in the allometric space was not evolutionarily conserved and might be influenced by environmental factors.

Exploration of nuclear DNA markers for population structure assessment in the desmid Micrasterias rotata (Zygnematophyceae, Streptophyta).

Freshwater green microalgae are diverse and widely distributed across the globe, yet the population structuring of these organisms is poorly understood. We assessed the degree of genetic diversity and differentiation of the desmid species, Micrasterias rotata. First, we compared the sequences of four nuclear regions (actin, gapC1, gapC2, and oee1) in 25 strains and selected the gapC1 and actin regions as the most appropriate markers for population structure assessment in this species. Population genetic structure was subsequently analyzed, based on seven populations from the Czech Republic and Ireland. Hudson's Snn statistics indicated that nearest-neighbor sequences occurred significantly more frequently within geographical populations than within the wider panmictic population. Moreover, Irish populations consistently showed higher genetic diversity than the Czech samples. These results are in accordance with the unbalanced distribution of alleles in many land plant species; however, the large genetic diversity in M. rotata differs from levels of genetic diversity found in most land plants.

DNA content variation and its significance in the evolution of the genus Micrasterias (Desmidiales, Streptophyta).

It is now clear that whole genome duplications have occurred in all eukaryotic evolutionary lineages, and that the vast majority of flowering plants have experienced polyploidisation in their evolutionary history. However, study of genome size variation in microalgae lags behind that of higher plants and seaweeds. In this study, we have addressed the question whether microalgal phylogeny is associated with DNA content variation in order to evaluate the evolutionary significance of polyploidy in the model genus Micrasterias. We applied flow-cytometric techniques of DNA quantification to microalgae and mapped the estimated DNA content along the phylogenetic tree. Correlations between DNA content and cell morphometric parameters were also tested using geometric morphometrics. In total, DNA content was successfully determined for 34 strains of the genus Micrasterias. The estimated absolute 2C nuclear DNA amount ranged from 2.1 to 64.7 pg; intraspecific variation being 17.4-30.7 pg in M. truncata and 32.0-64.7 pg in M. rotata. There were significant differences between DNA contents of related species. We found strong correlation between the absolute nuclear DNA content and chromosome numbers and significant positive correlation between the DNA content and both cell size and number of terminal lobes. Moreover, the results showed the importance of cell/life cycle studies for interpretation of DNA content measurements in microalgae.

A multilocus phylogeny of the desmid genus Micrasterias (Streptophyta): evidence for the accelerated rate of morphological evolution in protists.

Micrasterias, the name of which is derived from the Greek for 'little star', comprises possibly the most spectacularly shaped desmids (Desmidiales, Streptophyta). Presently, the genus Micrasterias includes about 60 traditional species, the majority of which were described in the early 19th century. We used a comprehensive multigene dataset (including SSU rDNA, psaA, and coxIII loci) of 34 Micrasterias taxa to assess the relationships between individual morphological species. The resulting phylogeny was used to assess the patterns characterizing the morphological evolution of this genus. The phylogenetic analysis led to the recognition of eight well-resolved lineages that could be characterized by selected morphological features. Apart from the members of Micrasterias, three species belonged to different traditional desmid genera (Cosmarium, Staurodesmus, and Triploceras) and were inferred to be nested within the genus. Morphological comparisons of these species with their relatives revealed an accelerated rate of morphological evolution. Mapping morphological diversification of the genus on the phylogenetic tree revealed profound differences in the phylogenetic signal of selected phenotypic features. Whereas the branching pattern of the cells clearly correlated with the phylogeny, cell complexity possibly reflected rather their adaptive morphological responses to environmental conditions. Finally, ancestral reconstruction of distribution patterns indicated potential origin of the genus in North America, with additional speciation events occurring in the Indo-Malaysian region.

Transcriptional analysis of cell growth and morphogenesis in the unicellular green alga Micrasterias (Streptophyta), with emphasis on the role of expansin.

BACKGROUND: Streptophyte green algae share several characteristics of cell growth and cell wall formation with their relatives, the embryophytic land plants. The multilobed cell wall of Micrasterias denticulata that rebuilds symmetrically after cell division and consists of pectin and cellulose, makes this unicellular streptophyte alga an interesting model system to study the molecular controls on cell shape and cell wall formation in green plants. RESULTS: Genome-wide transcript expression profiling of synchronously growing cells identified 107 genes of which the expression correlated with the growth phase. Four transcripts showed high similarity to expansins that had not been examined previously in green algae. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these genes are most closely related to the plant EXPANSIN A family, although their domain organization is very divergent. A GFP-tagged version of the expansin-resembling protein MdEXP2 localized to the cell wall and in Golgi-derived vesicles. Overexpression phenotypes ranged from lobe elongation to loss of growth polarity and planarity. These results indicate that MdEXP2 can alter the cell wall structure and, thus, might have a function related to that of land plant expansins during cell morphogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the potential of M. denticulata as a unicellular model system, in which cell growth mechanisms have been discovered similar to those in land plants. Additionally, evidence is provided that the evolutionary origins of many cell wall components and regulatory genes in embryophytes precede the colonization of land.