Abstract
The prasinophytes (early diverging Chlorophyta), consisting of simple unicellular green algae, occupy a critical position at the base of the green algal tree of life, with some of its representatives viewed as the cell form most similar to the first green alga, the ‘ancestral green flagellate’. Relatively large-celled unicellular eukaryotic phytoflagellates (such as Tetraselmis and Scherffelia), traditionally placed in Prasinophyceae but now considered as members of Chlorodendrophyceae (core Chlorophyta), have retained some primitive characteristics of prasinophytes. These organisms share several ultrastructural features with the other core chlorophytes (Trebouxiophyceae, Ulvophyceae and Chlorophyceae). However, the role of Chlorodendrophycean algae as the evolutionary link between cellular individuality and cellular cooperation has been largely unstudied. Here, we show that clonal populations of a unicellular chlorophyte, Tetraselmis indica, consist of morphologically and ultrastructurally variant cells which arise through asymmetric cell division. These cells also differ in their physiological properties. The structural and physiological differences in the clonal cell population correlate to a certain extent with the longevity and function of cells.
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Acknowledgements
This article is a result of the UKIERI (UK-INDIA Education and Research Initiative) project entitled ‘Development of Methodology for Biological Assessment of Ballast Water Management Systems’ funded by the British Council, the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Office of Science and Innovation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, GSK, BP, Shell and BAE for the benefit of the India Higher Education Sector and the UK Higher Education Sector. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the funding bodies.
The authors wish to thank Dr Frederick Leliaert, Dr Shashi B Babbar, Venkat Krishnamurthy, Dr Ganesh, Dr Ravidas Naik and Deepshikha for their help and support. This work was supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, and the British Council, UK. This is NIO contribution no. 5832.
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[Arora M, Anil AC, Burgess K, Delany J and Mesbahi E 2015 Asymmetric cell division and its role in cell fate determination in the green alga Tetraselmis indica. J. Biosci.] DOI 10.1007/s12038-015-9576-7
Supplementary materials pertaining to this article are available on the Journal of Biosciences Website at http://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/dec2015/supp/Arora.pdf
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Arora, M., Anil, A.C., Burgess, K. et al. Asymmetric cell division and its role in cell fate determination in the green alga Tetraselmis indica . J Biosci 40, 921–927 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-015-9576-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-015-9576-7