Scientists Sequence Genome of Soil-Dwelling Green Alga
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Biologists have sequenced much of the genome of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a tiny green alga. Credit: UCLA
The genome analysis of a tiny green alga has uncovered hundreds of genes that are uniquely associated with carbon dioxide capture and generation of biomass. Among the 15,000-plus genes revealed in the study are those that encode the structure and function of the specialized organelle that houses the photosynthetic apparatus, the chloroplast, which is responsible for converting light to chemical energy. The genome also provides a glimpse back through time to the last common ancestor of plants and animals.
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