Cylindrotheca closterium Raw sequence reads. Cylindrotheca closterium

Transcriptomic approach to identify anti-inflammatory genes in the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium.Microalgae are photosynthetic eukaryotes that constitute one of the major components of marine and freshwater phytoplankton. They consist of a very diverse group with a significant unexplored genetic potential. Recently, new insights have been gained into both the ecology and biotechnology of these important marine species thanks to various genome and transcriptome sequencing projects. The aim of this study was to sequence the full transcriptomes of the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium, known to have anti-inflammatory properties, in order to identify genes involved in the synthesis of anti-inflammatory compounds. This study give new information on enzymes with biotechnological applications. Results have identified several interesting enzymes, such as L-asparaginase, used for the treatment of Leukemia and for acrylamide reduction in food industries. Differential expression analyses between control and stressful culturing conditions have shown how stress influences the activation of some of these enzymes and, consequently, of their possible products (e.g. bioactive compounds). These results provide new insights into possible pharmaceutical applications of microalgae.