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Insights into the Evolution of Multicellularity from the Sea Lettuce Genome

De Clerck, Olivier; Kao, Shu-Min; Bogaert, Kenny A.; Blomme, Jonas; Foflonker, Fatima; Kwantes, Michiel; Vancaester, Emmelien; Vanderstraeten, Lisa; Aydogdu, Eylem; Boesger, Jens; Califano, Gianmaria; Charrier, Benedicte; Clewes, Rachel; Del Cortona, Andrea; D’Hondt, Sofie; Fernandez-Pozo, Noe; Gachon, Claire M.; Hanikenne, Marc; Lattermann, Linda; Leliaert, Frederik; Liu, Xiaojie; Maggs, Christine A.; Popper, Zoë A.; Raven, John A.; Van Bel, Michiel; Wilhelmsson, Per K.I.; Bhattacharya, Debashish; Coates, Juliet C.; Rensing, Stefan A.; Van Der Straeten, Dominique; Vardi, Assaf; Sterck, Lieven; Vandepoele, Klaas; Van de Peer, Yves; Wichard, Thomas; Bothwell, John H.

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Authors

Olivier De Clerck

Shu-Min Kao

Kenny A. Bogaert

Jonas Blomme

Fatima Foflonker

Michiel Kwantes

Emmelien Vancaester

Lisa Vanderstraeten

Eylem Aydogdu

Jens Boesger

Gianmaria Califano

Benedicte Charrier

Rachel Clewes

Andrea Del Cortona

Sofie D’Hondt

Noe Fernandez-Pozo

Claire M. Gachon

Marc Hanikenne

Linda Lattermann

Frederik Leliaert

Xiaojie Liu

Christine A. Maggs

Zoë A. Popper

John A. Raven

Michiel Van Bel

Per K.I. Wilhelmsson

Debashish Bhattacharya

Juliet C. Coates

Stefan A. Rensing

Dominique Van Der Straeten

Assaf Vardi

Lieven Sterck

Klaas Vandepoele

Yves Van de Peer

Thomas Wichard



Abstract

We report here the 98.5 Mbp haploid genome (12,924 protein coding genes) of Ulva mutabilis, a ubiquitous and iconic representative of the Ulvophyceae or green seaweeds. Ulva’s rapid and abundant growth makes it a key contributor to coastal biogeochemical cycles; its role in marine sulfur cycles is particularly important because it produces high levels of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), the main precursor of volatile dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Rapid growth makes Ulva attractive biomass feedstock but also increasingly a driver of nuisance “green tides.” Ulvophytes are key to understanding the evolution of multicellularity in the green lineage, and Ulva morphogenesis is dependent on bacterial signals, making it an important species with which to study cross-kingdom communication. Our sequenced genome informs these aspects of ulvophyte cell biology, physiology, and ecology. Gene family expansions associated with multicellularity are distinct from those of freshwater algae. Candidate genes, including some that arose following horizontal gene transfer from chromalveolates, are present for the transport and metabolism of DMSP. The Ulva genome offers, therefore, new opportunities to understand coastal and marine ecosystems and the fundamental evolution of the green lineage.

Citation

De Clerck, O., Kao, S., Bogaert, K. A., Blomme, J., Foflonker, F., Kwantes, M., …Bothwell, J. H. (2018). Insights into the Evolution of Multicellularity from the Sea Lettuce Genome. Current Biology, 28(18), 2921-2933.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.015

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 3, 2018
Online Publication Date Sep 13, 2018
Publication Date Sep 24, 2018
Deposit Date Sep 21, 2018
Publicly Available Date Sep 13, 2019
Journal Current Biology
Print ISSN 0960-9822
Publisher Cell Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 28
Issue 18
Pages 2921-2933.e5
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.015

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