Metabolites of Marine Diatoms in Stress Adaptation and Cell Signaling

Dear Colleagues,

Diatoms are among the most cosmopolitan and diverse of the photosynthetic algal groups and appear at the bottom of most pelagic and benthic food webs in aquatic ecosystems. The productivity of diatoms is controlled by a number of environmental factors, many of which are currently undergoing substantial changes due to anthropogenic influences (e.g. climate change, eutrophication, and pollution). Most of these factors interact either additively or synergistically. In this scenario, the ecological success of diatoms depends on their resilience and their capacity to respond and maintain themselves in a state of survival under unfavorable conditions, which enables them either to sustain active cell division and growth as soon as favorable environmental conditions resume or to adapt. This capacity is ultimately underpinned by a sensory and regulatory system that detects environmental changes and directly (or indirectly) regulates genetic pathways, allowing diatoms to optimize their metabolism to the changing environment. In this context the availability of diatom genome sequences, combined with high-throughput sequencing techniques, provides a unique opportunity to perform comparative genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the molecular changes underpinning the resilience of diatoms and their ecological success under fluctuating environmental conditions. In addition, it has become evident that the production of certain metabolites is highly dependent on the development of the cells and several ecological interactions are mediated by these strongly regulated metabolites. Despite significant progress in the investigation of specific metabolic pathways in diatoms, still little is known about the metabolic events during their exposure to environmental stress conditions. Besides abiotic parameters, biotic factors such as predator–prey interactions, competition for resources, susceptibility to parasitic infections and defense mechanisms have also been shown to play key roles in the community structures and physiological performance of diatoms. Particularly in the latter case, the underlying mechanisms by which diatoms perceive and transduce biological signals to activate targeted defense responses are completely unknown. In this Special Issue, we want to explore all topics in the physiological regulation and production of metabolites in relation with the acclimatisation and adaptation potential of diatoms to fluctuating environmental stress conditions, as well as host–parasite interactions. This issue will cover numerous aspects ranging from the physiology of marine diatoms, the biosynthesis and diversity of metabolites, including their ecological role and potential applications in aquaculture, as well as in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry.

As Guest Editor, I invite you to contribute to the Special Issue on “Metabolites in Diatoms”. Original research reports and reviews will be published online in Marine Drugs.

Dr. Bettina Scholz
Guest Editor

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• diatoms
• chemical ecology
• stress physiology
• “omics” approaches
• host-parasite interactions
• cell-to-cell signaling
• bioactive molecules
• aquaculture
• biotechnology