Molecular Damage Delays Gametic Release in Chlamydomonas

When deprived of nitrogen, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular algae, exits the vegetative cell cycle and differentiates into a gametic state. The cells resume vegetative cell division rather quickly when nitrogen levels are restored. We hypothesized that molecular damage delays the gametic release in populations treated with UV-C as compared to untreated cells. We evaluated this potential delay by microscopy and hemocytometer counts, cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry, and DNA damage through gel electrophoresis over time. We find that, indeed, a UV-C treatment delays gametic release by at least 12 hours