{"id":694110,"date":"2025-10-10T19:20:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/key-regulator-for-microalgaes-adaptation-to-low-co%e2%82%82-environments-identified\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T19:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:20:13","slug":"key-regulator-for-microalgaes-adaptation-to-low-co%e2%82%82-environments-identified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/key-regulator-for-microalgaes-adaptation-to-low-co%e2%82%82-environments-identified\/","title":{"rendered":"Key regulator for microalgae’s adaptation to low-CO\u2082 environments identified"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n The conceptual model of NO24G02310-media<\/a>ted low CO2<\/sub> adaptation in N. oceanica. Credit: Plant Communications<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1016\/j.xplc.2025.101534
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Marine microalgae are vital drivers of Earth’s carbon cycle, contributing app<\/a>roximately half of the planet’s global primary production and sequestering tens of gigatons of carbon annually through photosynthesis. To survive and thrive in seawater with low carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>) levels, these microorganisms depend on specialized and efficient CO2<\/sub>-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). For years, the regulatory factors that trigger CCM activation have remained incompletely understood\u2014until recent scientific research began to unravel this biological process.<\/p>\n

A research team from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology<\/a> (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Science<\/a>s has identified a specific histone modification as the key regulator governing microalgae’s adaptation to low-CO2<\/sub> environments. Their findings appear<\/a> in Plant Communications<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The study focused on Nannochloropsis oceanica, an industrially valuable microalga, tracking its epigenomic dynamics as it transitioned from an environment with 5% CO2<\/sub> to one with just 0.01% CO2<\/sub>\u2014a shift designed to mimic natural seawater conditions. Using multi-dimensional epigenomic sequencing techniques, the researchers discovered that global DNA methylation in the alga remained stable at 0.13%, effectively ruling out DNA methylation as a major driver of its low-CO2<\/sub> response.<\/p>\n

By contrast, histone H3K4 methylation\u2014particularly H3K4me2\u2014was found to be closely associated with 43.1% of the genes that respond to low-CO2<\/sub> conditions. These genes include those critical to photosynthesis and ribosome biogenesis, two processes essential for the alga’s survival under carbon-limited stress. Further analysis revealed that H3K4me2 appears to regulate gene transcription by altering chromatin accessibility, a mechanism that aligns with its role as a central regulator of low-CO2<\/sub> adaptation.<\/p>\n

“The biggest surprise was how histone modification, particularly H3K4me2, targets metabolic pathways critical for CO2<\/sub> use,” said Prof. Gong Yanhai, co-first author of the study. “For years, we suspected epigenetic regulation played a role in this adaptation. But ruling out DNA methylation and pinpointing H3K4 modification as a key driver is a critical advance for understanding how microalgae cope with low-CO2<\/sub> environments.”<\/p>\n

To validate their findings, the team used CRISPR\/Cas9 gene-editing technology. They knocked out NO24G02310\u2014a gene that encodes an H3K4 methyltransferase, the enzyme responsible for adding methyl groups to H3K4. The modified algae showed a roughly 22% reduction in growth rate and a 15% decrease in biomass. Additionally, the levels of another histone modification (H3K4me1) dropped, and the genome-wide localization of H3K4me2 shifted\u2014providing direct evidence of H3K4me2’s role in low-CO2<\/sub> adaptation.<\/p>\n

Further experiments uncovered that H3K4 modification may act via two pathways: by regulating enzyme networks and by modulating chloroplast transmembrane pH gradients. Both mechanisms work to optimize the alga’s use of available CO2<\/sub>, enhancing its survival under low-carbon conditions.<\/p>\n

This study offers actionable targets for engineering microalgae to boost their carbon-fixation capabilities. This is significant for two global challenges: developing sustainable bioenergy sources and mitigating climate change through enhanced carbon sequestration, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n

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More information:<\/strong>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYanhai Gong et al, Multi-dimensional epigenomic dynamics converge on H3K4 regulation of low CO2<\/sub> adaptation in Nannochloropsis oceanica, Plant Communications<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1016\/j.xplc.2025.101534<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChinese Academy of Sciences
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCitation<\/strong>:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKey regulator for microalgae’s adaptation to low-CO\u2082 environments identified (2025, October 10)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 10 October 2025
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2025-10-key-microalgae-environments.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

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