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Nuclear and Cell Morphological Changes during the Cell Cycle and Growth of the Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum.

Dapena, Carlos ; Bravo, Isabel ; Cuadrado, Angeles and Figueroa, Rosa LU (2015) In Protist 166(1). p.146-160
Abstract
Elucidation of the cell cycle of dinoflagellates is essential to understand the processes leading to their massive proliferations, known as harmful algal blooms. In this study, we used imaging flow cytometry (IFC) to monitor the changes in DNA content and nuclear and cell morphology that occur during clonal growth of the toxic species Alexandrium minutum Halim. Our results indicate that the population was in S phase (C→2C DNA content) during the light period, whereas haploid cells with a C DNA content peaked only during a short interval of the dark period. The timing of the phases, identified based on the nuclear morphology and cytoplasmic-to-nuclear (CNR) ratio of the cells, suggests that the length of the G2/M phase is regulated by... (More)
Elucidation of the cell cycle of dinoflagellates is essential to understand the processes leading to their massive proliferations, known as harmful algal blooms. In this study, we used imaging flow cytometry (IFC) to monitor the changes in DNA content and nuclear and cell morphology that occur during clonal growth of the toxic species Alexandrium minutum Halim. Our results indicate that the population was in S phase (C→2C DNA content) during the light period, whereas haploid cells with a C DNA content peaked only during a short interval of the dark period. The timing of the phases, identified based on the nuclear morphology and cytoplasmic-to-nuclear (CNR) ratio of the cells, suggests that the length of the G2/M phase is regulated by nutrient levels whereas the beginning of S phase is clock controlled. In addition we found that up to 7% of individual cells achieved a DNA content higher than 2C, indicative of either zygote formation and replication (homothallism), or of double-haploid cells able to divide (polyploid forms). Cells belonging to different cell cycle phases (G1-S-G2/M) could be readily discriminated based on nuclear size. Our study provides evidence of cell-cycle plasticity during clonal growth and unambiguously characterizes the cell-cycle phases of this dinoflagellate species. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Protist
volume
166
issue
1
pages
146 - 160
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:25681688
  • wos:000352015800010
  • scopus:84952329439
ISSN
1434-4610
DOI
10.1016/j.protis.2015.01.001
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e20519eb-a181-4f26-ad92-b20cbf595593 (old id 5143688)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:09:02
date last changed
2022-04-05 00:33:15
@article{e20519eb-a181-4f26-ad92-b20cbf595593,
  abstract     = {{Elucidation of the cell cycle of dinoflagellates is essential to understand the processes leading to their massive proliferations, known as harmful algal blooms. In this study, we used imaging flow cytometry (IFC) to monitor the changes in DNA content and nuclear and cell morphology that occur during clonal growth of the toxic species Alexandrium minutum Halim. Our results indicate that the population was in S phase (C→2C DNA content) during the light period, whereas haploid cells with a C DNA content peaked only during a short interval of the dark period. The timing of the phases, identified based on the nuclear morphology and cytoplasmic-to-nuclear (CNR) ratio of the cells, suggests that the length of the G2/M phase is regulated by nutrient levels whereas the beginning of S phase is clock controlled. In addition we found that up to 7% of individual cells achieved a DNA content higher than 2C, indicative of either zygote formation and replication (homothallism), or of double-haploid cells able to divide (polyploid forms). Cells belonging to different cell cycle phases (G1-S-G2/M) could be readily discriminated based on nuclear size. Our study provides evidence of cell-cycle plasticity during clonal growth and unambiguously characterizes the cell-cycle phases of this dinoflagellate species.}},
  author       = {{Dapena, Carlos and Bravo, Isabel and Cuadrado, Angeles and Figueroa, Rosa}},
  issn         = {{1434-4610}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{146--160}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Protist}},
  title        = {{Nuclear and Cell Morphological Changes during the Cell Cycle and Growth of the Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2015.01.001}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.protis.2015.01.001}},
  volume       = {{166}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}