Open AccessTemperature‐ and pH‐dependent accumulation of heat‐shock proteins in the acidophilic green alga Chlamydomonas acidophila
Author(s) -
GerloffElias Antje,
Barua Deepak,
Mölich Andreas,
Spijkerman Elly
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2006.00078.x
Subject(s) - chlamydomonas reinhardtii , chlamydomonas , biology , heat shock protein , green algae , algae , shock (circulatory) , adaptation (eye) , mesophile , botany , biophysics , biochemistry , mutant , gene , bacteria , neuroscience , medicine , genetics
Abstract Chlamydomonas acidophila , a unicellular green alga, is a dominant phytoplankton species in acidic water bodies, facing severe environmental conditions such as low pH and high heavy metal concentrations. We examined the pH‐, and temperature‐dependent accumulation of heat‐shock proteins in this alga to determine whether heat‐shock proteins play a role in adaptation to their environment. Our results show increased heat‐shock proteins accumulation at suboptimal pHs, which were not connected with any change in intracellular pH. In comparison to the mesophilic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , the acidophilic species exhibited significantly higher accumulations of heat‐shock proteins under control conditions, indicating an environmental adaptation of increased basal levels of heat‐shock proteins. The results suggest that heat‐shock proteins might play a role in the adaptation of C. acidophila , and possibly other acidophilic algae, to their extreme environment.