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Distribution of alginate and cellulose and regulatory role of calcium in the cell wall of the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus (Ectocarpales, Phaeophyceae)

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This work investigated a correlation between the three-dimensional architecture and compound–components of the brown algal cell wall. Calcium greatly contributes to the cell wall integrity.

Brown algae have a unique cell wall consisting of alginate, cellulose, and sulfated polysaccharides. However, the relationship between the architecture and the composition of the cell wall is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the architecture of the cell wall and the effect of extracellular calcium in the sporophyte and gametophyte of the model brown alga, Ectocarpus siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye, using transmission electron microscopy, histochemical, and immunohistochemical studies. The lateral cell wall of vegetative cells of the sporophyte thalli had multilayered architecture containing electron-dense and negatively stained fibrils. Electron tomographic analysis showed that the amount of the electron-dense fibrils and the junctions was different between inner and outer layers, and between the perpendicular and tangential directions of the cell wall. By immersing the gametophyte thalli in the low-calcium (one-eighth of the normal concentration) artificial seawater medium, the fibrous layers of the lateral cell wall of vegetative cells became swollen. Destruction of cell wall integrity was also induced by the addition of sorbitol. The results demonstrated that electron-dense fibrils were composed of alginate-calcium fibrous gels, and electron negatively stained fibrils were crystalline cellulose microfibrils. It was concluded that the spatial arrangement of electron-dense fibrils was different between the layers and between the directions of the cell wall, and calcium was necessary for maintaining the fibrous layers in the cell wall. This study provides insights into the design principle of the brown algal cell wall.

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Acknowledgments

We express our thanks to Dr. K. Okuda, Kochi University, Japan, for providing the anti-alginate antibody, and Dr. S. Oka, Hokkaido University, Japan, for analysis with the LC-MS/MS. This study was supported by KAKENHI [Grant numbers 25291087, 26440160].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Makoto Terauchi

  2. Research Center for Inland Seas, Kobe University, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan

    Makoto Terauchi

  3. Muroran Marine Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Muroran, 051-0013, Japan

    Chikako Nagasato & Taizo Motomura

  4. Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, 041-8611, Japan

    Akira Inoue

  5. Electron Microscope Laboratory, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8589, Japan

    Toshiaki Ito

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  1. Makoto Terauchi
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Correspondence to Chikako Nagasato.

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Terauchi, M., Nagasato, C., Inoue, A. et al. Distribution of alginate and cellulose and regulatory role of calcium in the cell wall of the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus (Ectocarpales, Phaeophyceae). Planta 244, 361–377 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-016-2516-4

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