3D reconstruction of endoplasmic reticulum in a hydrocarbon-secreting green alga, Botryococcus braunii (Race B)

Compartment-specific Ca2+ imaging in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii reveals high light-induced chloroplast Ca2+ signatures

To investigate the role of intracellular Ca2+ signaling in the perception and response mechanisms to light in unicellular microalgae, the genetically encoded ratiometric Ca2+ indicator Yellow Cameleon (YC3.6) was expressed in the model organism for green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, targeted to cytosol, chloroplast, and mitochondria. Through in vivo single-cell confocal microscopy imaging, light-induced Ca2+ signaling was investigated in different conditions and different genotypes, including the photoreceptors mutants phot and acry. A genetically encoded H2 O2 sensor was also adopted to investigate the possible role of H2 O2 formation in light-dependent Ca2+ signaling. Light-dependent Ca2+ response was observed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells only in the chloroplast as an organelle-autonomous response, influenced by light intensity and photosynthetic electron transport. The absence of blue and red-light photoreceptor aCRY strongly reduced the light-dependent chloroplast Ca2+ response, while the absence of the blue photoreceptor PHOT had no significant effects. A correlation between high light-induced chloroplast H2 O2 gradients and Ca2+ transients was drawn, supported by H2 O2 -induced chloroplast Ca2+ transients in the dark. In conclusion, different triggers are involved in the light-induced chloroplast Ca2+ signaling as saturation of the photosynthetic electron transport, H2 O2 formation, and aCRY-dependent light perception.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cellular compartments and their contribution to intracellular calcium signalling

Calcium (Ca2+)-dependent signalling plays a well-characterized role in the response to different environmental stimuli, in both plant and animal cells. In the model organism for green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Ca2+ signals were reported to have a crucial role in different physiological processes, such as stress responses, photosynthesis, and flagella functions. Recent reports identified the underlying components of the Ca2+ signalling machinery at the level of specific subcellular compartments and reported in vivo imaging of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in response to environmental stimuli. The characterization of these Ca2+-related mechanisms and proteins in C. reinhardtii is providing knowledge on how microalgae can perceive and respond to environmental stimuli, but also on how this Ca2+ signalling machinery has evolved. Here, we review current knowledge on the cellular mechanisms underlying the generation, shaping, and decoding of Ca2+ signals in C. reinhardtii, providing an overview of the known and possible molecular players involved in the Ca2+ signalling of its different subcellular compartments. The advanced toolkits recently developed to measure time-resolved Ca2+ signalling in living C. reinhardtii cells are also discussed, suggesting how they can improve the study of the role of Ca2+ signals in the cellular response of microalgae to environmental stimuli.

Stay in Touch-The Cortical ER of Moss Protonemata in Osmotic Stress Situations

Plasmolysis is usually introduced to cell biology students as a tool to illustrate the plasma membrane: hypertonic solutions cause the living protoplast to shrink by osmotic water loss; hence, it detaches from the surrounding cell wall. What happens, however, with the subcellular structures in the cell cortex during this process of turgor loss? Here, we investigated the cortical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in moss protonema cells of Physcomitrella patens in a cell line carrying a transgenic ER marker (GFP-HDEL). The plasma membrane was labelled simultaneously with the fluorescent dye FM4-64 to achieve structural separation. By placing the protonemata in a hypertonic mannitol solution (0.8 M), we were able to follow the behaviour of the cortical ER and the protoplast during plasmolysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The protoplast shape and structural changes of the ER were further examined after depolymerisation of actin microfilaments with latrunculin B (1 µM). In its natural state, the cortical ER is a dynamic network of fine tubes and cisternae underneath the plasma membrane. Under acute and long-term plasmolysis (up to 45 min), changes in the protoplast form and the cortical ER, as well as the formation of Hechtian strands and Hechtian reticula, were observed. The processing of the high-resolution z-scans allowed the creation of 3D models and gave detailed insight into the ER of living protonema cells before, during and after plasmolysis.

Three-dimensional ultrastructure and hyperspectral imaging of metabolite accumulation and dynamics in Haematococcus and Chlorella

Phycology has developed alongside light and electron microscopy techniques. Since the 1950s, progress in the field has accelerated dramatically with the advent of electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopes can only acquire imaging data on a 2D plane. Currently, many of the life sciences are seeking to obtain 3D images with electron microscopy for the accurate interpretation of subcellular dynamics. Three-dimensional reconstruction using serial sections is a method that can cover relatively large cells or tissues without requiring special equipment. Another challenge is monitoring secondary metabolites (such as lipids or carotenoids) in intact cells. This became feasible with hyperspectral cameras, which enable the acquisition of wide-range spectral information in living cells. Here, we review bioimaging studies on the intracellular dynamics of substances such as lipids, carotenoids and phosphorus using conventional to state-of-the-art microscopy techniques in the field of algal biorefining.