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Branchi<\/strong>ng patterns in brown macroalgae<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span>Branching patterns are a major contributor to organismal form.\u00a0 Most orders of brown algae exhibit planar branching, producing relatively ‘flat’ organisms. Only one family – the Sargasseaceae (order Fucales) – exhibits radial branching leading to fuller, bushier organisms. But exactly how prevalent is radial branching in the Sargasseaceae? When did it evolve? And how is it patterned and executed? Here are some of the things we are up to!<\/span><\/p>\n Embryo patterning & growth in brown macroalgae.<\/span><\/strong> Like <\/span>many other sexually reproducing eukaryotes, brown algal embryos have internal patterning mechanisms. However, their growth and development happen outside of a parent body in close interaction with the environment. How is polarity established in embryos? When\/how do they differentiate tissues and cell types? What programs are shared between species and when\/how do their morphologies begin to diverge? Just how responsive are these programs to changes in the environment? And what does the cell wall have to do with it? Here are some of the things we are up to!<\/span><\/p>\n The brown algal cell wall and the microbiome.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>The cell wall is the organism’s major interface with the external biotic and abiotic environment. It plays host to <\/span>microbes<\/span>, providing food (carbon) to some while inhibiting others. How do microbes interact with the brown algal cell wall? What is the nature of the various host-microbe interactions & how might they impact development? What role do cell wall polysaccharides & microbes play in carbon sequestration and cycling? Here are some of the things we are up to!<\/span><\/p>\n The brown algal cell wall and heavy metals. <\/span><\/strong>The brown algal cell wall is rich with negatively charged groups, primed to interact with cations from the environment. Some of these cations, like Ca2+, are integral for cell wall mechanics & algal growth and development. But other cations, like <\/span>heavy metals,<\/span> may also accumulate in cell walls. Do algal cell walls help confer heavy metal tolerance? Are there patterns in heavy metal accumulation during the organism’s life? In its body? How do heavy metals alter cell wall mechanics and thus growth\/development? Could brown algae be bioremediators? And how could understanding heavy metal accumulation influence industry and policy? Here are some of the things we are up to!<\/span><\/p>\n Investigating how heavy metals accumulate in giant kelp<\/span> (M. pyrifera) using biochemical methods and spectroscopy on wild harvested kelp and in culture experiments; including after recent wildfires. *Hugh Knopp (PhD) with collaborators in the Moment Lab @ UCLA\u00a0<\/a> and the Cavanaugh Lab @ UCLA<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Exploring how heavy metal exposure impacts the growth & development of microscopic giant kelp<\/span> life stages using culture experiments, microscopy, and transcriptomic. *Hugh Knopp (PhD) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Examining how heavy metals change cell wall mechanics<\/span> in living algae and cell wall material mimics. *Siobhan and Hugh Knopp (PhD) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Thermotolerance and growth in California kelps.<\/span> <\/strong>As our environment changes over time, changes in ocean temperature may occur faster than organisms can adapt. Understanding how temperature impacts the microscopic stages of kelp is essential to ensure a resilient ocean future. How does thermo-susceptibility affect the growth and development of kelp? What is the thermotolerance range of microscopic kelp life stages? Is thermotolerance underlain by genetic variance?\u00a0 And what molecular mechanisms might underlie tolerance?\u00a0 *Lauren Dedow, Kaitlyn Kim (UG), Abby Krause (UG), Mia Bramante (UG), in collaboration with The Smith Lab at UCSD\/SIO<\/a> and the Michael Lab at UCSD\/Salk.<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Methods & tool development for brown macroalgae.<\/span><\/strong> Brown macroalgae are tough, and they don’t make molecular biology easy – but we think they are worth careful, patient, persistent effort. Together with a small-but-mighty research community we are optimizing, adapting, and developing methods and tools needed for modern molecular biology in brown algae. Examples in our lab include: quality, purpose-driven, nucleic acid extraction methods; advanced imaging methods with confocal & AFM; RNAseq for <\/span>de novo<\/span><\/i> transcriptome assembly & gene expression analyses; laser capture microdissection; and RNAi and CRISPR-gene editing.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Current Research Areas Branching patterns in brown macroalgae. Branching patterns are a major contributor to organismal form.\u00a0 Most orders of brown algae exhibit planar branching, producing relatively ‘flat’ organisms. Only one family – the Sargasseaceae (order Fucales) – exhibits radial branching leading to fuller, bushier organisms. But exactly how prevalent is radial branching in … <\/p>\n\n
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