About this Research Topic
Microalgae, including cyanobacteria, are amongst the most abundant aquatic organisms. Since the appearance of cyanobacteria, algae diversified to occupy every niche of the planet. Being photosynthetic organisms, microalgae convert sunlight energy into chemical energy in their plastids using CO2 from the environment. To this end, they rendered and still render enormous ecosystem services through O2 emission and CO2 fixation, contributing significantly to the biogeochemical cycles. The colonization of niches could only be possible thanks to the highly diverse and original metabolisms, which is tightly regulated in order to acclimate to specific conditions. This tight regulation of the metabolism appears to be enhanced in the photosynthetic organisms, such as diatoms, that evolved through successive endosymbiotic events.
To understand the ecological success of microalgae, the mechanisms and regulatory circuits by which they modify their metabolism must be elucidated. This knowledge is of additional importance for biotechnological applications. Despite the tremendous progress of photobioreactor engineering during the last years, the achievements and impact of algal biotechnology, in terms of production and economic yields, is trailing behind. This hindrance in progress is mostly due to a lack of knowledge on basic biological processes like reproduction, life history, algal metabolism and physiology.
Therefore, in this Research Topic, a multidisciplinary view on metabolic regulation in diatoms and other Chromalveolates is envisioned. We aim to gather a set of articles to provide a deep view into diatom and Chromalveolate metabolic regulation under the following aspects:
- Carbon metabolism: carbon uptake, alternative carbon sources
- Nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and silicon metabolism
- Metabolism regulation by natural factors, xenobiotics, heavy metals, allelopathy, ocean acidification
- Organelle metabolism regulation: chloroplast, mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, vacuole
- Evolutionary aspects of the metabolism and its regulatory circuits
- Biotechnological applications: enhancement of metabolic production
To understand the ecological success of microalgae, the mechanisms and regulatory circuits by which they modify their metabolism must be elucidated. This knowledge is of additional importance for biotechnological applications. Despite the tremendous progress of photobioreactor engineering during the last years, the achievements and impact of algal biotechnology, in terms of production and economic yields, is trailing behind. This hindrance in progress is mostly due to a lack of knowledge on basic biological processes like reproduction, life history, algal metabolism and physiology.
Therefore, in this Research Topic, a multidisciplinary view on metabolic regulation in diatoms and other Chromalveolates is envisioned. We aim to gather a set of articles to provide a deep view into diatom and Chromalveolate metabolic regulation under the following aspects:
- Carbon metabolism: carbon uptake, alternative carbon sources
- Nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and silicon metabolism
- Metabolism regulation by natural factors, xenobiotics, heavy metals, allelopathy, ocean acidification
- Organelle metabolism regulation: chloroplast, mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, vacuole
- Evolutionary aspects of the metabolism and its regulatory circuits
- Biotechnological applications: enhancement of metabolic production
Keywords: Diatoms, Chromalveolates, Metabolic Regulation
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