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Diatom cell division in an environmental context.

TitleDiatom cell division in an environmental context.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsBowler, C, De Martino, A, Falciatore, A
JournalCurr Opin Plant Biol
Volume13
Issue6
Pagination623-30
Date Published2010 Dec
ISSN1879-0356
KeywordsCell Division, Diatoms, Environment, Microtubules
Abstract

Studies of cell division in organisms derived from secondary endosymbiosis such as diatoms have revealed that the mechanisms are far from those found in more conventional model eukaryotes. An atypical acentriolar microtuble-organizing centre, centripetal cytokinesis combined with centrifugal cell wall neosynthesis, and the role of sex in relation to cell size restoration make diatoms an exciting system to re-investigate the evolution, differentiation and regulation of cell division. Such studies are further justified considering the ecological relevance of these microalgae in contemporary oceans and the need to understand the mechanisms controlling their growth and distribution in an environmental context. Recent work derived from genome-wide analyses on representative model diatoms reveals that the cell cycle is finely tuned to inputs derived from both endogenous and environmental signals.

DOI10.1016/j.pbi.2010.09.014
Alternate JournalCurr. Opin. Plant Biol.
PubMed ID20970371

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