PNAS: Clues to the evolutionary origins of brown algae that could be used in health and biofuel research

When you think of algae, you might think of bright green water filaments swaying in a stream, or blue-green flowers
that invade a lake.

Brown algae are brown (and therefore less pretty) because they have evolved a special set of pigments that can absorb more light for photosynthesis
than green plants and green algae.

Biologists at Colorado State University, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and China, have revealed fundamental insights into the evolution of these algae that produced a new brown pigment, known as fucoxanthin
.

Graham Peers, associate professor of biology at Chicago State University, co-led the study
with Martin Lohr of Johannes Gutenberg-Universit?t in Germany and Xiaobo Li of Westlake University in Hangzhou, China.

A peer team studying photosynthesis efficiency and algal ecophysiology identified gene targets and conducted experiments that allowed the team to see what
happens when these brown pigment-related genes are disabled.

Fucoxanthin has a wide range of applications in nutrition and pharmaceuticals

Over the past decade, fucoxanthin has become a topic
of increasing interest in nutritional and pharmaceutical applications.

This biochemical synthesis pathway is complex; The researchers wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that algalaxanthin evolved from the replication of ancient genes that produce light-protective pigments
.

"These algae are somehow able to mix and match, and then reprogram their cellular mechanisms to capture light
in a way that land plants don't," Pierce said.

This new study provides a rich background on which further research can be carried out to enable the extremely efficient light capture of this brown pigment to be transferred to other organisms
or uses.

For example, understanding how brown algae evolved could give scientists a better understanding of algal xanthan pigment as a nutritional drug
for various health applications.