Comparative transcriptomics reveals colony formation mechanism of a harmful algal bloom species Phaeocystis globosa

Phaeocystis globosa is a major causative agent of harmful algal blooms in the global ocean, featuring a complex polymorphic life cycle alternating between free-living solitary cells and colonial cells. Colony is the dominant morphotype during P. globosa bloom. However, the underlying mechanism of colony formation is poorly understood. Here, we comprehensively compared global transcriptomes of P. globosa cells at four distinctive colony formation stages: free-living solitary cells, two cell-, four cell- and multi-cell colonies, under low and hig temperatures, and characterized the genes involved in colony formation.