Abstract
The seaweed Ulva prolifera exists in 2 different states; attached to rocks or free-floating. However, there is little difference between the structures of the 2 states. U. prolifera thalli show significant differences in growth rate, with the attached thalli growing at a normal rate and free-floating thalli growing at a much faster rate. This raised the possibility that the growth of the two states may be regulated differently. miRNAs are important post-transcriptional regulators. In higher plants and animals, miRNAs have been extensively studied but they have been rarely studied in algae. To identify U. prolifera miRNAs and to investigate their possible roles in proliferation, we constructed and sequenced small RNA (sRNA) libraries from U. prolifera. Our results show that U. prolifera has a complex small RNA system that might play important roles in various processes.
Highlights
The seaweed Ulva prolifera exists in 2 different states; attached to rocks or free-floating
72493 (2.09%) unique reads had at least one perfect match with U. prolifera EST sequences or C. reinhardtii, A. thaliana or P. tricornutum genomic sequences, most hits were to U. prolifera EST sequences (Figure 3, Table 2)
8.34% total and 2.09% unique sequences were mapped to the genomes of 3 model organisms, C. reinhardtii, A. thaliana and P. tricornutum, implying a different small RNA regulation mechanism from other organisms
Summary
The seaweed Ulva prolifera exists in 2 different states; attached to rocks or free-floating. There is little difference in structure, the two states of U. prolifera thalli have significantly different growth rates; the attached U. prolifera has a normal growth rate while floating U. prolifera has a much higher rate [3] and can cause the “green tide” phenomenon [4], which can be extremely harmful to mariculture and the tourist industry This prompted us to hypothesize that U. prolifera might possess specific regulators of gene expression, such as miRNAs, that regulate its development and proliferation. There have been many miRNA studies in higher plants and animals; relatively little information is available regarding algae miRNAs. To identify miRNAs and their probable roles in U. prolifera development and proliferation, we constructed and sequenced a small RNA library from U. prolifera thalli. This initial study provided insights into the expression of small silencing RNAs in U. prolifera
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