Innovations in Alginate Catabolism Leading to Heterotrophy and Adaptive Evolution of Diatoms
Zeng Hao Lim, Peng Zheng, Christopher Quek, Minou Nowrousian, Finn L. Aachmann, Gregory Jedd
This paper identifies the genetic basis for alginate catabolism in the non-photosynthetic diatom Nitzschia sing1, showing how horizontal gene transfer and subsequent gene duplication and neofunctionalization enabled adaptation to a heterotrophic lifestyle.
PLoS Biology · Apr 1, 2025Peer-reviewedEvolutionary Biology