Data from: Flow cytometric methods for indirect analysis and quantification of gametogenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlorophyceae)

Induction of sexual reproduction in the facultatively sexual Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is cued by depletion of nitrogen. We explore the capacity for indirect monitoring of population variation in the gametogenic process using flow cytometry. We describe a high-throughput method capable of identifying fluorescence, ploidy and scatter profiles that track vegetative cells entering and undergoing gametogenesis. We demonstrate for the first time, that very early and late growth phases reduce the capacity to distinguish putative gametes from vegetative cells based on scatter and fluorescence profiles, and that early/mid-logarithmic cultures show the optimal distinction between vegetative cells and gamete scatter profiles. We argue that early/mid logarithmic cultures are valuable in such high throughput comparative approaches when investigating optimisation or quantification of gametogenesis based on scatter and fluorescence profiles. This approach provides new insights into the impact of culture conditions on gametogenesis, while documenting novel scatter and fluorescence profile shifts which typify the process. This method has potential applications to; enabling quick high-throughput monitoring, uses in increasing efficiency in the quantification of gametogenesis, as a method of comparing the switch between vegetative and gametic states across treatments, and as criteria for enrichment of gametic phenotypes in cell sorting assays.兼性有性生殖的莱茵衣藻（Chlamydomonas reinhardtii）的有性生殖诱导由氮源耗竭触发。本研究探索了利用流式细胞术（flow cytometry）间接监测配子发生过程中种群变异的可行性。本研究报道了一种高通量方法，可识别并追踪进入配子发生阶段及正在进行配子发生的营养细胞的荧光、倍性与散射特征图谱。本研究首次证实：基于散射与荧光特征图谱，极早期和晚期生长阶段会削弱推定配子与营养细胞的区分能力，而早中期对数生长期培养物可实现营养细胞与配子散射特征图谱的最优区分。我们认为，在基于散射与荧光特征图谱开展配子发生优化或定量研究时，早中期对数生长期培养物适用于此类高通量比较分析策略。该研究不仅揭示了培养条件对配子发生的影响，还记录了该过程特有的新型散射与荧光特征图谱变化。该方法具备多方面潜在应用价值：可实现快速高通量监测、提升配子发生定量分析效率、作为跨处理组比较营养状态向配子状态转变的手段，以及作为细胞分选实验中富集配子表型的判定标准。