Correction: Transcriptional Orchestration of the Global Cellular Response of a Model Pennate Diatom to Diel Light Cycling under Iron Limitation

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006490.].

Transcriptional Orchestration of the Global Cellular Response of a Model Pennate Diatom to Diel Light Cycling under Iron Limitation

Environmental fluctuations affect distribution, growth and abundance of diatoms in nature, with iron (Fe) availability playing a central role. Studies on the response of diatoms to low Fe have either utilized continuous (24 hr) illumination or sampled a single time of day, missing any temporal dynamics. We profiled the physiology, metabolite composition, and global transcripts of the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum during steady-state growth at low, intermediate, and high levels of dissolved Fe over light:dark cycles, to better understand fundamental aspects of genetic control of physiological acclimation to growth under Fe-limitation. We greatly expand the catalog of genes involved in the low Fe response, highlighting the importance of intracellular trafficking in Fe-limited diatoms. P. tricornutum exhibited transcriptomic hallmarks of slowed growth leading to prolonged periods of cell division/silica deposition, which could impact biogeochemical carbon sequestration in Fe-limited regions. Light harvesting and ribosome biogenesis transcripts were generally reduced under low Fe while transcript levels for genes putatively involved in the acquisition and recycling of Fe were increased. We also noted shifts in expression towards increased synthesis and catabolism of branched chain amino acids in P. tricornutum grown at low Fe whereas expression of genes involved in central core metabolism were relatively unaffected, indicating that essential cellular function is protected. Beyond the response of P. tricornutum to low Fe, we observed major coordinated shifts in transcript control of primary and intermediate metabolism over light:dark cycles which contribute to a new view of the significance of distinctive diatom pathways, such as mitochondrial glycolysis and the ornithine-urea cycle. This study provides new insight into transcriptional modulation of diatom physiology and metabolism across light:dark cycles in response to Fe availability, providing mechanistic understanding for the ability of diatoms to remain metabolically poised to respond quickly to Fe input and revealing strategies underlying their ecological success.

Oceanic diatoms live in constantly fluctuating environments to which they must adapt in order to survive. During sunlit hours, photosynthesis occurs allowing diatoms to store energy used at night to sustain energy demands. Cellular and molecular mechanisms for regulation of phytoplankton growth are important to understand because of their environmental roles at the base of food webs and in regulating carbon flux out of the atmosphere. In ocean ecosystems, the availability of iron (Fe) commonly limits phytoplankton growth and diatoms typically outcompete other phytoplankton when Fe is added, indicating they have adaptations allowing them to both survive at low Fe and rapidly respond to Fe additions. These adaptations may be unique depending on isolation from coastal or oceanic locations. To identify adaptive strategies, we characterized the response of a model diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, to limiting Fe conditions over day:night cycles using a combination of gene expression analyses, metabolite, and physiology measurements. Major coordinated shifts in metabolism and growth were documented over diel cycles, with peak expression of low Fe expressed genes in the dark phase. Diatoms respond to limiting Fe by increasing Fe acquisition, while decreasing growth rate through slowed cell cycle progression, reduced energy acquisition, and subtle metabolic remodeling.