CNRS UMR8186, Department of Biology, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
Ann Rev Mar Sci. 2010;2:333-65. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081051.
Diatoms are the most successful group of eukaryotic phytoplankton in the modern ocean and have risen to dominance relatively quickly over the last 100 million years. Recently completed whole genome sequences from two species of diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, have revealed a wealth of information about the evolutionary origins and metabolic adaptations that have led to their ecological success. A major finding is that they have incorporated genes both from their endosymbiotic ancestors and by horizontal gene transfer from marine bacteria. This unique melting pot of genes encodes novel capacities for metabolic management, for example, allowing the integration of a urea cycle into a photosynthetic cell. In this review we show how genome-enabled approaches are being leveraged to explore major phenomena of oceanographic and biogeochemical relevance, such as nutrient assimilation and life histories in diatoms. We also discuss how diatoms may be affected by climate change-induced alterations in ocean processes.
硅藻是现代海洋中最成功的真核浮游植物群体，在过去的 1 亿年中相对迅速地占据了主导地位。最近完成的两个硅藻物种——拟菱形藻和三角褐指藻的全基因组序列揭示了大量关于进化起源和代谢适应的信息，这些信息导致了它们的生态成功。一个主要发现是，它们既从内共生祖先那里获得了基因，又从海洋细菌那里通过水平基因转移获得了基因。这种独特的基因融合体为代谢管理提供了新的能力，例如，允许将尿素循环整合到光合作用细胞中。在这篇综述中，我们展示了基因组技术如何被用来探索海洋学和生物地球化学相关的主要现象，例如硅藻中的营养物质吸收和生活史。我们还讨论了气候变化引起的海洋过程变化可能如何影响硅藻。
