September 15, 2018
Our new publication led by former Ph.D. student Natalie Cohen (now at WHOI) was recently published in the journal Environmental Microbiology. In this study we compare the transcriptomes and proteomes of the oceanic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia granii grown under iron-limited and iron-replete conditions. Our study contributes to our understanding of how this diatom can grow exceptionally well under low iron conditions.
September 15, 2018
Our new publication led by former Masters student Rob Lampe (now at UCSD) was recently published in the journal Environmental Microbiology. In this study we show that different groups of phytoplankton respond in distinct ways to simulated coastal upwelling and that the molecular mechanism behind the nitrogen shift-up phenomenon observed in diatoms may be due to their ability to ‘frontload’ nitrogen assimilation-related genes.
Divergent gene expression among phytoplankton taxa in response to upwelling
September 15, 2018
UNC faculty members Adrian Marchetti and Scott Gifford along with graduate students Weida Gong and Garrett Sharpe have been in the North Pacific for the last month on the R/V Revelle. They are part of the NASA EXPORTS mission which has brought together over 50 marine scientists from across the country on two research vessels. The overall objective of the project is to determine whether the amount of carbon exported from the upper ocean can be quantified from remote sensing satellites in space. To learn more about the mission, go the the NASA EXPORTS website.
View the NASA EXPORTS Blog here.
The UNC team that participated on the NASA EXPORTS cruise in the Northeast Pacific. Garrett Sharpe, Scott Gifford, Adrian Marchetti and Weida Gong (from left to right).
May 1, 2018
Congratulations to Rob Lampe who successfully defended his M. Sc. thesis titled ‘Distinct strategies by bloom-forming diatoms to frequently-encountered shifts in their environment’. Rob’s findings provides even more evidence for why diatoms are the coolest organisms on the planet!
April 23, 2018
Our new publication led by former graduate student Natalie Cohen (now a post-doctoral fellow at WHOI) was just published in Limnology and Oceanography. In this study we examine the iron quotas of 11 diatoms to determine whether there is a systematic difference in iron storage capacities between diatoms that contain the protein ferritin and those that do not. It appears that ferritin may be performing multiple functional roles that are independent of diatom phylogeny.
Iron storage capacities and associated ferritin gene expression among marine diatoms
February 19, 2018
Our new publication led by graduate student Weida Gong was just published in Environmental Microbiology. In this study we examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of phytoplankton using gene expression analysis within the Neuse River Estuary. We provide compelling evidence for the utilization of such ‘omic techniques as useful tools in water quality monitoring programs.
December 18, 2017
Our new publication led by graduate student Carly Moreno was just published in Polar Biology. In this study we examine how polar diatoms cope with low iron and light conditions in the Southern Ocean through a combination of molecular and physiological techniques.
Nov 14, 2017
Our new publication lead by former graduate student Natalie Cohen (now a post-doctoral fellow at WHOI) was published online in Frontiers in Marine Sciences. In this study we compare the metatranscriptomic response by diatoms to variable iron status across different ocean provinces in the North Pacific Ocean. The study is part of an NSF-funded collaboration between the Marchetti Lab and the Twining Lab at Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences
May 10, 2017
Our new publication was published online in Journal of Phycology Early View. In this study we have developed a molecular indicator to determine the iron status of Pseudo-nitzschia within natural diatom assemblages using gene expression. As part of this study, we have created an online tool to calculate the Pseudo-nitzschia Iron Limitation Index (ILI) from metatranscriptomic sequence data sets.
Development of a molecular-based index for assessing iron status in bloom-forming pennate diatoms
The Pseudo-nitzschia ILI Calculator is available here.
April 21, 2017
Our new publication by Natalie Cohen and coauthors was published online in Limnology and Oceanography. In this study we have examined co-limitation of iron and vitamins within diatom isolates and natural diatom assemblages from the Northeast Pacific Ocean. It appears that diatoms need their vitamins too!
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