Data from: The genome and phenome of the green alga Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3007 reveal adaptive traits for desert acclimatization

To investigate the phenomic and genomic traits that allow green algae to survive in deserts, we characterized a ubiquitous species, Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3007, which we isolated from multiple locations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Metabolomic analyses of Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3007 indicated that the alga accumulates a broad range of carbon sources, including several desiccation tolerance-promoting sugars and unusually large stores of palmitate. Growth assays revealed capacities to grow in salinities from zero to 60 g/L and to grow heterotrophically on >40 distinct carbon sources. Assembly and annotation of genomic reads yielded a 52.5 Mbp genome with 8153 functionally annotated genes. Comparison with other sequenced green algae revealed unique protein families involved in osmotic stress tolerance and saccharide metabolism that support phenomic studies. Our results reveal the robust and flexible biology utilized by a green alga to successfully inhabit a desert coastline.

为探究支撑绿藻在沙漠环境中存活的表型组与基因组特征，本研究对广布物种绿球藻属未定种（Chloroidium sp.）UTEX 3007开展了系统性表征。该菌株由我们从阿拉伯联合酋长国（UAE）的多个采样点分离得到。对Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3007的代谢组学分析显示，该藻类可积累多种碳源，包括多种促脱水耐受糖类以及含量异常丰富的棕榈酸储备。生长实验结果表明，该藻能够在盐度0至60 g/L的环境中生长，并可利用40余种不同碳源进行异养培养。通过对基因组读长进行组装与注释，我们获得了一个总长度为52.5 Mbp的基因组，其中包含8153个完成功能注释的基因。将该基因组与其他已测序绿藻进行比对分析，发现其携带有与渗透胁迫耐受、糖类代谢相关的独特蛋白家族，这一发现为表型组研究提供了有力支撑。本研究结果揭示了该绿藻为成功定植沙漠海岸生境所具备的强健且灵活的生物学特性。