A sex-inducing pheromone triggers cell cycle arrest and mate attraction in the 
diatom Seminavis robusta

Moeys, Sara; Frenkel, Johannes; Lembke, Christine; Gillard, Jeroen T. F.; Devos, Valerie; den Berge, Koen Van; Bouillon, Barbara; Huysman, Marie J. J.; Decker, Sam De; Scharf, Julia; Bones, Atle; Brembu, Tore; Winge, Per; Sabbe, Koen; Vuylsteke, Marnik; Clement, Lieven; Veylder, Lieven De; Pohnert, Georg; Vyverman, Wim

doi:10.1038/srep19252

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A sex-inducing pheromone triggers cell cycle arrest and mate attraction in the diatom Seminavis robusta

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Frenkel, Johannes
IMPRS on Ecological Interactions, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep19252
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Citation

Moeys, S., Frenkel, J., Lembke, C., Gillard, J. T. F., Devos, V., den Berge, K. V., et al. (2016). A sex-inducing pheromone triggers cell cycle arrest and mate attraction in the diatom Seminavis robusta. Scientific Reports, 6: 19252. doi:10.1038/srep19252.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0003-09A8-6

Abstract

Although sexual reproduction is believed to play a major role in the high diversification rates and species richness of diatoms, a mechanistic understanding of diatom life cycle control is virtually lacking. Diatom sexual signalling is controlled by a complex, yet largely unknown, pheromone system. Here, a sex-inducing pheromone (SIP+) of the benthic pennate diatom Seminavis robusta was identified by comparative metabolomics, subsequently purified, and physicochemically characterized. Transcriptome analysis revealed that SIP+ triggers the switch from mitosis-to-meiosis in the opposing mating type, coupled with the transcriptional induction of proline biosynthesis genes, and the release of the proline-derived attraction pheromone. The induction of cell cycle arrest by a pheromone, chemically distinct from the one used to attract the opposite mating type, highlights the existence of a sophisticated mechanism to increase chances of mate finding, while keeping the metabolic losses associated with the release of an attraction pheromone to a minimum.