SILICON METABOLISM IN DIATOMS

Silicon Metabolism in Diatoms

1. Cells of the fresh water diatom Navicula pelliculosa may be grown in a mineral medium containing a low concentration of silicon. When transferred to a fresh silicate solution and incubated under non-growing conditions such deficient cells rapidly take up silicon from the medium. 2. The utilization of silicon is an aerobic process. 3. When deficient cells are washed with distilled water or sa...

The evolution of silicon transporters in diatoms

Diatoms are highly productive single-celled algae that form an intricately patterned silica cell wall after every cell division. They take up and utilize silicic acid from seawater via silicon transporter (SIT) proteins. This study examined the evolution of the SIT gene family to identify potential genetic adaptations that enable diatoms to thrive in the modern ocean. By searching for sequence ...

The peculiar carbon metabolism in diatoms.

Role of diatoms in regulating the ocean’s silicon cycle

[1] Among phytoplankton the diatoms are strong competitors and contribute significantly to total global primary production. Aspects of their life history, notably their high sinking rates, make them important to the export flux of carbon into the ocean interior. Unlike the majority of other phytoplankton, they utilize silicic acid (=silicate) to construct their cell walls and are controlled by ...

Silicon availability and cell-cycle progression in marine diatoms

The role of silicon availability on cell-cycle progression in marine diatoms was examined using flow cytometric methods. Silicon deprivation halted the progression of cells through the cell cycle with cells arresting in G1. G2 and M in 6 of 7 species examined (5 centric and 1 pennate species). The exception, Phaeodactylurn tricornutum, did not require silicon for growth and did not have a silic...