Brown algae have evolved independently of plants and animals for more than a billion years, and therefore they exhibit many new features that make them very interesting targets, for example, for the discovery of new biomolecules or the development of sustainable biofuel resources.

Ectocarpus siliculosus, a Classic Model Organism

Ectocarpus siliculosus, filamentous brown algae, distributed in temperate coastal regions worldwide, serves as a genetic and genomic model for brown macroalgae, and its genome is the first brown macroalgae genome to be sequenced.

Advantages of Ectocarpus siliculosus as a Model Organism

There is a long history of research on Ectocarpus siliculosus, which is one of the fundamental reasons for choosing this species as a genetic and genomic model organism for brown algae. There are many other important advantages of Ectocarpus siliculosus as a model organism.

Research Tools and Resources of Ectocarpus siliculosus

The 214-Mbp genome sequence of Ectocarpus siliculosus has now been assembled and completely analyzed, as well as the development of a range of molecular tools.

This array of tools and resources facilitates the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying different aspects of brown algal biology.

Diverse Research Areas

Brown algae are an enigmatic species and one of the few eukaryotic lineages that have evolved complex multicellularity. Scientists are interested in studying the molecular mechanisms of multicellular development in brown algae.

• Life Cycle Regulation
  The life cycle of brown algae is expressed as an alternation between two multicellular generations, including the diploid sporophyte and the haploid gametophyte, which must be accurately deployed at a precise point in the life cycle. It has been found that the development of alternation between gametophytes and sporophytes in brown algae is controlled by a combination of genetic factors, such as the OUROBOROS and SAMSARA loci, and non-cell autonomous factors, such as Gum Arabic or Larcoll.
• Characterization of Haploid Sexual Systems
  Sex-determining systems in haploid stages (UV systems), such as those of mosses and algae, have long been mysterious. In the UV system, sex is determined at the haploid stage of the life cycle by the presence of the U chromosome (in females) or the V chromosome (in males).

Fig.1 Sex determination in haploid and diploid stages of brown algae. (Coelho, S. M., & Cock, J. M., 2020, Annual Review of Genetics)

• Molecular Basis of Development in the Brown Algae
  Brown algae have evolved complex multicellularity independently of animals and land plants. With the advent of tools to describe developmental processes in brown algae at the molecular level, highly conserved processes in the three species, such as TALE HD TFs involved in life cycle regulation and sporophyte development, and processes specific to brown algae, such as IMM genes involved in the deployment of the sporophyte basal system, are identified.

Our Services

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Reference

• Coelho, S. M., & Cock, J. M. (2020). Brown algal model organisms. Annual Review of Genetics, 54, 71-92.

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