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Coordination of growth and cell cycle progression in green algae
IVANOV, Ivan
Within the past century microalgae have gained importance both as model organisms in cell cycle research and as a biotechnological platform for the production of a variety of economically important compounds. This thesis examines the coordination of growth and cell cycle progression in green algae and attempts to explore the biotechnological relevance of some of the findings. Furthermore, the applicability of confocal Raman microscopy for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of storage biomolecules during the course of the cell cycle of Desmodesmus quadricauda is also investigated. Temperature and light shift experiments showed that there is no direct correlation between growth and cell cycle progression in D. quadricauda. Further analysis revealed that supraoptimal temperature has a profound effect on the cell cycle of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii causing a block in cell division, increase of cell size and over accumulation of starch. Starch production through supraoptimal temperature was successfully demonstrated in pilot scale experiments, however it was estimated that light availability within the culture poses a major limiting factor. Confocal Raman microscopy was successfully applied for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of storage biomolecules including starch, lipids, polyphosphates and guanine.
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Polyphosphates in microalgae: monitoring of their accumulation and intracellular localization by means of Raman microscopy
Suja, Matyáš ; Mojzeš, Peter (advisor) ; Kočišová, Eva (referee)
Phosphorus is widely used in agriculture, where it promotes the growth of crops and increases the profitability of soil. Together with a growing world population, there is a dramatic increase in consumption of this important element. However, the global phosphate deposits are finite and are expected to be depleted in the next few decades. It is therefore important to find an effective way of recycling, which could be represented by single-celled microscopic algae. Microscopic algae are able to accumulate large quantities of phosphorus from the surrounding environment and to store this phosphorus, among others, in the form of polyphosphates. Polyphosphates are high-energetic biomolecules which are contained in the cells of plant as well as animal kingdom. They play a key role in a vast number of vital processes. Raman microscopy can be applied to study metabolism and distribution of biomolecules at a cellular level without the need of a special preparation of the specimen before the measurement. The subject of this bachelor thesis consists of development of methodologies that are needed for studying the accumulation and intracellular localization of polyphosphates in microalgae by means of Raman microscopy.
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