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The genome of <i>Pleurosigma</i> provides insights into the evolutionary adaptations of pelagic diatoms
DNA Research, Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Start page: dsaf037
Swansea University Author:
Eva C. Sonnenschein
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© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1093/dnares/dsaf037
Abstract
The diatom Pleurosigma pacificum is a newly described tropical pelagic species from the Western Pacific Ocean with one of largest genome size among published diatom genomes, making it an ideal candidate for studying adaptation to tropical open ocean environments and diatom evolution. We employed HiF...
| Published in: | DNA Research |
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| ISSN: | 1340-2838 1756-1663 |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2026
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71156 |
| Abstract: |
The diatom Pleurosigma pacificum is a newly described tropical pelagic species from the Western Pacific Ocean with one of largest genome size among published diatom genomes, making it an ideal candidate for studying adaptation to tropical open ocean environments and diatom evolution. We employed HiFi long-read sequencing to construct a high-quality and contaminant-free genome. The assembled genome is 1.357 Gb in size and consists of 821 contigs with a contig N50 of 3.23 Mb. The GC content is 38.6%, which is much lower than that of other published diatom genomes. The genome contains 27,408 predicted genes, 540 of which were implicated in environmental adaptation. Gene features and gene family comparisons suggest that the primary driver of genome expansion and functional diversification is long terminal repeats (LTR) retrotransposons and tandem duplications. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the clade of P. pacificum is closely associated with other members of Naviculales. The expansion of chlorophyll a/c proteins facilitates the adaptation of P. pacificum to high light conditions in pelagic environments. The percentage of approximately 3.22% horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events is observed in the P. pacificum genome. HGTs are a prevalent phenomenon in diatoms and serve as a common mechanism to enhance their adaptive capabilities. In conclusion, the P. pacificum genome provides important understanding into the development of large genome size and evolutionary adaptations of pelagic diatoms. |
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| Keywords: |
diatom, genomics, long-read sequencing |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant numbers 42276099 and 31800171) and STU Scientific Research Initiation Grant (NTF25030T). |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
dsaf037 |

