Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism to study fundamental problems in plant biology

Abstract

Over the past ~70 years, the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has secured its importance as a key model organism for many questions in plant biology. After a brief introduction to C. reinhardtii and its advantages as a eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganism, I will present two current research projects from my group. In the first project, we established an activation screen to identify mutants with higher amounts of carotenoids. The second project deals with the development of a photosynthetically active cell into a dormant zygospore that can survive harsh environmental conditions for many years. In the life cycle of C. reinhardtii, I will discuss factors that contribute to the maturation of newly formed zygotes into zygospores.