The Effect of Oxidative Stress on the Transport, Sequestration, Storage and Use of Sufate and Molybdenum in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (2009 - Present)

Investigator:  Erica Oduaran, Roger Williams University

Abstract:  The green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii adapts well to its environment and can grow under various conditions of salinity, moisture, temperature, light intensity and micronutrient availability. Part of its versatility comes from that fact that it is able to grow heterotrophically in the dark with acetate as its reduced carbon source or to grow phototrophically with sunlight and carbon dioxide. This demonstrates the fact that C. reinhardtii can use either the chloroplasts or mitochondria in response to metabolic demands and raises the question of how the micronutrients are allocated in the cell with respect to metabolic demand. The algae have several protective and preventative mechanisms for avoiding oxidative damage when faced with adverse conditions. What is not understood is how the essential metals and micronutrients are transported, sequestered, stored or re-allocated when cells are confronted with these stressful conditions.This project is designed to probe the assimilation of the micronutrient molybdenum when C. reinhardtii is under conditions of oxidative stress.