Genome Structural Variation and Chromoanagenesis in the Smallest Photosynthetic Eukaryote

Ostreococcus picoalgae and the prasinoviruses that infect them form a tractable model system for uncovering the molecular basis of algae-virus interactions. Previous studies have shown that viral resistance in Ostreococcus is associated with structural alterations predominantly localized on a single "outlier" chromosome. These structural variants may arise from deletions, duplications, translocations, horizontal gene transfer events, or extensive internal rearrangements reminiscent of chromoanagenesis observed in cancer cells. The aim of this project is to elucidate the genome dynamics of the hypervariable outlier chromosome in Ostreococcus mediterraneus by comparing virus-susceptible and virus-resistant strains obtained through experimental evolution.