FEAST focus #24, 11/2006, p. 12
“Understanding Diatom Biology by Functional Genomics Approaches”, is a FP6 Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP). The project, running until 2009, includes 12 partners, including a team from the University of Melbourne headed by Prof Rick Wetherbee.
Diatoms are photosynthetic eukaryotes providing close to one quarter of global fixed carbon and approximately one fifth of the oxygen we breathe. Remarkably, very little is known about their basic biology and how it is affected by environmental change. Because of the key role that diatoms play in carbon cycling at the global level, it is paramount that the secrets of diatom biology be discovered in order to increase our knowledge of the role of diatoms in global biogeochemical cycles and to understand the influence of environmental factors. The Diatomics project is addressing these questions in marine diatoms using information based on two completed diatom genome sequences, from Thalassiosira pseudonana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Important topics that are being addressed include carbon sequestration, nutrient acquisition, the rise and fall of algal blooms, and biofouling. Gene expression profiles are studied at the whole genome level in response to ecologically-relevant stimuli, and the project will manipulate expression of candidate key genes by reverse genetics. Phylogenetic histories and ecological significance of these genes will then be examined in a range of diatoms. Furthermore, a subset of diatom genes will be transferred into rice by an SME, with the aim of improving key agronomic traits. An improved understanding of diatom biology can also lead to advances in human health care and well-being, due to the phylogenetic relatedness of diatoms to important human pathogens and to the potential biomedical applications of diatom silica nanofabrication.
The added value of the Diatomics project is further reinforced by the multidisciplinarity of the project participants. Furthermore, the coordinator of Diatomics, Prof Chris Bowler, from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, has been appointed by the US Dept of Energy to coordinate P. tricornutum genome sequencing and annotation, and so the project is an opportunity to enhance liaison between the USA, Europe and Australia, thereby galvanizing an international network on diatoms.
Prof Rick Wetherbee’s group is providing its expertise in biofouling to study diatom adhesion and to identify genes involved in the process. His group has made significant progress in chemically characterizing the Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) of several diatoms. The multidisciplinarity of Diatomics project participants provides important training opportunities for young scientists such as Anusuya Willis, currently working in Prof Bowler’s laboratory in Paris and performing a cotutelle with Prof Wetherbee at the University of Melbourne.
Source: Chris Bowler
