Stress responses in an Arctic microalga (Pelagophyceae) following sudden salinity change revealed by gene expression analysis
Nastasia J. Freyria, Thais Campos de Oliveira, Mansi Chovatia, Jennifer Johnson, Alan Kuo, Anna Lipzen, Kerrie Barry, Igor V. Grigoriev, Connie Lovejoy
Abstract
Marine microbes that have for eons been adapted to stable salinity regimes are confronted with sudden decreases in salinity in the Arctic Ocean. The episodic freshening is increasing due to climate change with melting multi-year sea-ice and glaciers, greater inflows from rivers, and increased precipitation. To investigate algal responses to lowered salinity, we analyzed the responses and acclimatation over 24 h in a non-model Arctic marine alga (pelagophyte CCMP2097) following transfer to realistic lower salinities. Using RNA-seq transcriptomics, here we show rapid differentially expressed genes related to stress oxidative responses, proteins involved in the photosystem and circadian clock, and those affecting lipids and inorganic ions. After 24 h the pelagophyte adjusted to the lower salinity seen in the overexpression of genes associated with freezing resistance, cold adaptation, and salt tolerance. Overall, a suite of ancient widespread pathways is recruited enabling the species to adjust to the stress of rapid salinity change. The authors analyzed the response of an Arctic pelagophyte to lowered salinity. They observed that several ancient and widespread pathways were activated, allowing the species to adjust to the stress of rapid salinity change.