Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata is a marine planktonic pennate diatom capable of producing the neurotoxin domoic acid, a molecule that can contaminate seafood and cause a syndrome called amnesic shellfish poisoning. The life cycle of this species includes a sexual phase and its genetics are controllable. The availability of a sequenced genome for Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata will contribute to consolidate it as a model species for diatoms. Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata can be transformed, therefore functional genomics approaches to study gene function are possible. These tools will allow to explore the mechanisms of toxin production and other molecular processes specific to diatoms, one of the major and most important groups of unicellular microalgae.

Taxonomy ID 183589

Data source Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn

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