Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of genome size and structure in Pavlova gyrans and Diacronema sp (Haptophyta)

Information regarding genome size and structure is a prerequisite for selecting model organisms and for facilitating the most efficient study of their chromosomal DNA. The goal of this study was to identify future candidates for complete-genome-sequencing projects among economically or evolutionarily important species of haptophyte algae. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), we identified relatively small genomes and chromosome sizes in two haptophyte species from the class Pavlovophyceae, Pavlova gyrans Butcher and Diacronema sp. The basal position of Pavlovophyceae in the Haptophyta; the key position of this group in the chromalveolates; and their economic and potential biomedical importance, case of culturing, and small genome size make these taxa ideal models for complete-genome sequencing.