Genetius

Using ten Phaeodactylum tricornutum mutant strains with graded constitutive Lhcx1 expression, the study links NPQ induction under high light to physiological outcomes (oxidized QA, increased cyclic electron flow) and extensive transcriptomic reprogramming, affecting nearly half the genome. The approach demonstrates that higher NPQ mitigates PSII damage, boosts ATP production for repair, and drives distinct gene regulatory networks, providing a model framework for dissecting photosynthetic and gene expression integration.

The study identifies a non‑ribosomal peptide synthase‑like gene (PtNRPS1) in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum that converts L‑tryptophan to tryptophanol, an auxin‑like compound that markedly enhances short‑term nitrogen assimilation. Functional validation through biochemical assays, overexpression, transcriptomics, and stable‑isotope tracking demonstrates that tryptophanol, at much lower effective concentrations than IAA, boosts nitrogen uptake, and its presence correlates with nitrogen‑assimilation gene abundance across stramenopiles.

The study identifies a plastid-envelope mitochondrial carrier family protein (MCFc) in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and demonstrates its role in plastid‑mitochondrion energetic communication by comparing wild‑type and MCFc‑deficient mutants. Spectroscopic and oxygen‑exchange measurements reveal altered energy interactions in the mutant, and in silico analyses suggest substrate specificity distinct from classic ADP/ATP carriers.