Generalities
Chondrus crispus (C. crispus), also known as Irish moss or carrageen moss, is a species of red algae known as intertidal (located on the part of the shore where the tide alternates). The maximum size of this seaweed is about 15 cm, it is red in colour with sometimes blue reflections.
It is a very common alga used for industrial production of polysaccharides of its cell wall, used as texture agents for food uses. C. crispus is also an emerging model for the study of marine autotrophic multicellular organisms.
Indeed, intertidal algae are subject to a very dynamic environment with brutal changes linked to the immersion and emergence of the tides and, in addition to meteorological changes, wave effects. They are therefore interesting models for studying responses to environmental stresses and are also used in studies on the evolution of eukaryotes (in particular, algae), or the host-agent relationship.
The benefits of this algae for researchers and industrialists are many: novel biomolecules for dairy products, beauty creams and medicines.
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- Chondrus crispus – @EFOR
- Name : Chondrus crispus
- Phylogenetic classification: red alga (Rhodophyta), family Gigartinaceae
- Genome sequencing complete
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Genome size: 104 Mbp.
Number of genes predicted: 8047
Reproduction
There are two distinct stages: a haploid sexual stage (gametophyte stage) and a diploid asexual stage (sporophyte stage). However, a third intermediate stage occurs when the gametes produced by the male and female gametophytes fuse to produce a diploid carposporophyte, developed on the female gametophyte after fertilization.
Carposporophyte produces carpospores that develop in the sporophyte. The sporophyte then undergoes meiosis to produce haploid tetraspores (male or female) that develop in gametophytes.
Tools
- DNA chips
- Protoplastes
Databases
Infrastructures
- Research group Abiotic stress and functional genomics of seaweeds, UMR 7139 CNRS-UPMC
- https://www.embrc-france.fr/fr/our-services/supply-biological-resources/model-organisms/chondrus-crispus
- Station biologique de Roscoff
Experts
- Jonas COLLEN
- collen@sb-roscoff.fr
- UMR 7139 CNRS-UPMC, Végétaux Marins et Biomolécules, Roscoff
- Catherine BOYEN
- boyen@sb-roscoff.fr
- UMR 7139 CNRS-UPMC, Végétaux Marins et Biomolécules, Roscoff
Bibliography
- Articles
“Genome structure and metabolic features in the red seaweed Chondrus crispus shed light on evolution of the Archaeplastida”, Collén, J. et al.,
- Websites