High Throughput Analysis of Phytoplankton ROS Detoxification Gene Families

The Black Queen Hypothesis is a novel theory in reductive evolution that suggests while some metabolic functions must remain in the cell, others can be outsourced to the surrounding community. Phytoplankton are important members of marine ecosystems, and many exist in symbiotic relationships with co-occurring bacteria. Phytoplankton produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a by-product of their photosynthetic metabolism, but the smallest ones have lost their detoxification abilities, instead outsourcing internally generated ROS to the surrounding environment. Larger diatoms accumulate more protein products resulting from ROS toxicity than smaller ones, and so the ability for a function to be outsourced may be as result of diffusional limitations. By comparing the genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiles from a variety of different phytoplankton, the hypothesis that larger diatoms will have more elaborate gene families which code for ROS detoxification gene families than their smaller counterparts will be examined. This will help explain the symbiotic relationship between phytoplankton and co-occurring bacteria, as well provide insight into the Black Queen Hypothesis.

Faculty Supervisor:

Douglas Campbell

Student:

Partner:

University of South Bohemia

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Environmental Science and Technology; Biotechnology

University:

Mount Allison University

Program: