Abstract
Salinity is among the main drivers affecting growth and distribution of photosynthetic organisms as Chlamydomonas spp. These species can live in multiple environments, including polar regions, and have been frequently studied for their adaptation to live at different salinity gradients. Upon salinity stress (hypersalinity is the most studied), Chlamydomonas spp. were found to alter their metabolism, reduce biomass production (growth), chlorophyll content, photosynthetic activity, and simultaneously increasing radical oxygen species production as well as lipid and carotenoid contents. This review summarizes the current literature on salt stress related studies on the green algae from the genus Chlamydomonas considering physiological and molecular aspects. The overall picture emerging from the data suggests the existence of common features of the genus in response to salinity stress, as well as some differences peculiar to single Chlamydomonas species. These differences were probably linked to the different morphological characteristics of the studied algae (e.g., with or without cell wall) or different sampling locations and adaptations. On the other hand, molecular data suggest the presence of common reactions, key genes, and metabolic pathways that can be used as biomarkers of salt stress in Chlamydomonas spp., with implications for future physiological and biotechnological studies on microalgae and plants.
Highlights
Salinity is one of the most significant environmental factors influencing the growth and distribution of photosynthetic organisms, especially in coastal areas, where run-off, rivers, and land use have greater impact
Salt stress can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn interfere with photosynthesis and threaten the growth, and the survival of the organism
The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on salt-stress responses, focusing on the microalgae from the Chlamydomonas genus as valuable model organisms to understand the negative effects and possible reactions to this stress
Summary
Salinity is one of the most significant environmental factors influencing the growth and distribution of photosynthetic organisms, especially in coastal areas, where run-off, rivers, and land use have greater impact. The success of the genus in laboratory studies is a result of its relatively easy genetic manipulation and cultivation, and the species offers an easy-to-use and well-known option to discover possible solutions to salinity-related problems in crop cultivating areas. Due to their metabolic plasticity, many Chlamydomonas species can grow under various conditions (photoautotrophic, heterotrophic, and mixotrophic). ICE-L are some of the best studied cold-adapted algae to date [16] In their natural environments, these organisms are often exposed to extreme temperatures, and to radical salinity changes. ICE-L is becoming a well-established model organism for molecular biology of psychrophiles, whole-genome sequence is available [19] and it is an attractive candidate for biofuel production as well [17]
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