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A ‘B-12 Shot’ for Marine Algae?

By Guest PostJune 7, 2012Environmentalgae growth, andrew allen, Antarctica, antibiotic, antifungal medicines, archaea, atmosphere, b 12 shot, biofuels, cba1, cell walls, christopher dupont, cobalamin, cobalamin acquisition protein, Environment, epifluorescence micrograph, erin bertrand, function, jing bai, mak saito, marine algae, microbes, oceanic food chain, photosynthesis, protein, proteins organisms, proteomics, ruben valas, scarce nutrient, seawater, single celled bacteria, Southern Ocean, trina norden krichmar, venter institute, vitamin b12, whoi

Scientists find key protein for algae growth in the ocean

Scientists have revealed a key cog in the biochemical machinery that allows marine algae at the base of the oceanic food chain to thrive. They have discovered a previously unknown protein in algae that grabs an essential but scarce nutrient out of seawater, vitamin B₁₂.

Many algae, as well as land-dwelling animals, including humans, require B₁₂, but they cannot make it and must either acquire it from the environment or eat food that contains B₁₂. Only certain single-celled bacteria and archaea have the ability to synthesize B₁₂, which is also known as cobalamin. (more…)

Amoeba May Offer Key Clue to Photosynthetic Evolution

Stanford, CA— The major difference between plant and animal cells is the photosynthetic process, which converts light energy into chemical energy. When light isn’t available, energy is generated by breaking down carbohydrates and sugars, just as it is in animal and some bacterial cells. Two cellular organelles are responsible for these two processes: the chloroplasts for photosynthesis and the mitochondria for sugar breakdown. New research from Carnegie’s Eva Nowack and Arthur Grossman has opened a window into the early stages of chloroplast evolution. Their work is published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the week of February 27-March 2. (more…)

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A ‘B-12 Shot’ for Marine Algae?

Amoeba May Offer Key Clue to Photosynthetic Evolution