Deciphering the roles of HALOgen metabolism in a brown algal model through functional GENomics – HaloGene

Halogen metabolism is thought to play essential roles in macroalgal biology, but the related biosynthesis pathways, halogenating enzyme biochemistry and in vivo functions are poorly understood. The HaloGene project aims to study the biological functions of key halogenation enzymes, in the model brown alga Ectocarpus, through functional genomics. Our specific objectives are i) to generate CRISPR-Cas9 knock-outs (KO) of genes, such as those encoding vanadium-dependant haloperoxidases, ii) to compare metabolic and transcriptomic patterns of Ectocarpus wild type and mutant algal strains, iii) to analyze the effects of gene KO on associated microbiome and physiological responses of cultures exposed to different abiotic and biotic stress, and iv) to study the evolution and distribution of halogen-related enzymes in brown algae. This project will increase our understanding of marine halogenation and the role of halogenated compounds in seaweed biology.