Horizontal gene transfer and diploidy illuminate evolution and stress adaptation in oleaginous Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyta)

Linzhou Li; Hongli Wang; Xiayi Chen; Jingmin Kang; Yan Xu; Sunil Kumar Sahu; Maike Lorenz; Thomas Friedl; Christine Campbell; Cecilia Rad-Menéndez; Barbara Melkonian; Gane Ka-Shu Wong; Huan Liu; Ying Gu; Xun Xu; Tong Wei; Michael Melkonian; Sibo Wang

doi:10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2

Horizontal gene transfer and diploidy illuminate evolution and stress adaptation in oleaginous Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyta)

Linzhou Li
, Hongli Wang
, Xiayi Chen
, Jingmin Kang
, Yan Xu
, Sunil Kumar Sahu
, Maike Lorenz
, Thomas Friedl
, Christine Campbell
, Cecilia Rad-Menéndez
, Barbara Melkonian
, Gane Ka-Shu Wong
, Huan Liu
, Ying Gu
, Xun Xu
, Tong Wei
, Michael Melkonian
, Sibo Wang

SAMS UHI

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

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Abstract

Oleaginous microalgae combine high lipid content with the ability to grow under diverse environmental conditions, the oleaginous species of family Scenedesmaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyta) having emerged as a promising source for biofuels, biostimulants, and bioremediation. This study provides long-read genome sequencing of 38 species/strains of Scenedesmaceae, including 16 chromosome-level genome assemblies, to explore the genomic underpinnings of the exceptional adaptive properties of their vegetative cells. Gene family analysis identifies ‘core’ and ‘dispensible’ orthogroups in the Scenedesmaceae and unveils orthogroup expansions and gains in four major metabolic processes that enhance survival of cells under stress: lipid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, resistance to oxidative stress, and heterotrophy. We discover orthogroup gains by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from non-viridiplant donors in all four processes. Additionally, we identify ten diploid strains, which likely evolved by fusion of gametes and vegetative growth of the diploid cells. We hypothesize that HGT and diploidy fostered adaptive processes in the Scenedesmaceae.

Original language	English
Article number	5618 (2026)
Number of pages	20
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	17
Issue number	1
Early online date	23 Apr 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 23 Apr 2026

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 15 Life on Land

Keywords

physiological stress
physiological adaptation
biological evolution
chlorophyta
diploidy
metabolism
molecular evolution
gene transfer
horizontal
phylogeny
stress
biofuel
cell component
genome
lipid
microalga
survival
green alga
horizontal gene transfere
physiology

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10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Horizontal gene transfer and diploidy illuminate evolution and stress adaptation in oleaginous Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyta)
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Final published version, 2.65 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71696-2Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

Li, L., Wang, H., Chen, X., Kang, J., Xu, Y., Sahu, S. K., Lorenz, M., Friedl, T., Campbell, C., Rad-Menéndez, C., Melkonian, B., Wong, G. K.-S., Liu, H., Gu, Y., Xu, X., Wei, T., Melkonian, M., & Wang, S. (2026). Horizontal gene transfer and diploidy illuminate evolution and stress adaptation in oleaginous Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyta). Nature Communications, 17(1), Article 5618 (2026). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2

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abstract = "Oleaginous microalgae combine high lipid content with the ability to grow under diverse environmental conditions, the oleaginous species of family Scenedesmaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyta) having emerged as a promising source for biofuels, biostimulants, and bioremediation. This study provides long-read genome sequencing of 38 species/strains of Scenedesmaceae, including 16 chromosome-level genome assemblies, to explore the genomic underpinnings of the exceptional adaptive properties of their vegetative cells. Gene family analysis identifies {\textquoteleft}core{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}dispensible{\textquoteright} orthogroups in the Scenedesmaceae and unveils orthogroup expansions and gains in four major metabolic processes that enhance survival of cells under stress: lipid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, resistance to oxidative stress, and heterotrophy. We discover orthogroup gains by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from non-viridiplant donors in all four processes. Additionally, we identify ten diploid strains, which likely evolved by fusion of gametes and vegetative growth of the diploid cells. We hypothesize that HGT and diploidy fostered adaptive processes in the Scenedesmaceae.",

keywords = "physiological stress, physiological adaptation, biological evolution, chlorophyta, diploidy, metabolism, molecular evolution, gene transfer, horizontal, phylogeny, stress, biofuel, cell component, genome, lipid, microalga, survival, green alga, horizontal gene transfere, physiology",

author = "Linzhou Li and Hongli Wang and Xiayi Chen and Jingmin Kang and Yan Xu and Sahu, \{Sunil Kumar\} and Maike Lorenz and Thomas Friedl and Christine Campbell and Cecilia Rad-Men{\'e}ndez and Barbara Melkonian and Wong, \{Gane Ka-Shu\} and Huan Liu and Ying Gu and Xun Xu and Tong Wei and Michael Melkonian and Sibo Wang",

note = "{\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article{\textquoteright}s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article{\textquoteright}s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.",

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Li, L, Wang, H, Chen, X, Kang, J, Xu, Y, Sahu, SK, Lorenz, M, Friedl, T, Campbell, C, Rad-Menéndez, C, Melkonian, B, Wong, GK-S, Liu, H, Gu, Y, Xu, X, Wei, T, Melkonian, M & Wang, S 2026, 'Horizontal gene transfer and diploidy illuminate evolution and stress adaptation in oleaginous Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyta)', Nature Communications, vol. 17, no. 1, 5618 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2

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AU - Li, Linzhou

AU - Wang, Hongli

AU - Chen, Xiayi

AU - Kang, Jingmin

AU - Xu, Yan

AU - Sahu, Sunil Kumar

AU - Lorenz, Maike

AU - Friedl, Thomas

AU - Campbell, Christine

AU - Rad-Menéndez, Cecilia

AU - Melkonian, Barbara

AU - Wong, Gane Ka-Shu

AU - Liu, Huan

AU - Gu, Ying

AU - Xu, Xun

AU - Wei, Tong

AU - Melkonian, Michael

AU - Wang, Sibo

N1 - © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

PY - 2026/4/23

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N2 - Oleaginous microalgae combine high lipid content with the ability to grow under diverse environmental conditions, the oleaginous species of family Scenedesmaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyta) having emerged as a promising source for biofuels, biostimulants, and bioremediation. This study provides long-read genome sequencing of 38 species/strains of Scenedesmaceae, including 16 chromosome-level genome assemblies, to explore the genomic underpinnings of the exceptional adaptive properties of their vegetative cells. Gene family analysis identifies ‘core’ and ‘dispensible’ orthogroups in the Scenedesmaceae and unveils orthogroup expansions and gains in four major metabolic processes that enhance survival of cells under stress: lipid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, resistance to oxidative stress, and heterotrophy. We discover orthogroup gains by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from non-viridiplant donors in all four processes. Additionally, we identify ten diploid strains, which likely evolved by fusion of gametes and vegetative growth of the diploid cells. We hypothesize that HGT and diploidy fostered adaptive processes in the Scenedesmaceae.

AB - Oleaginous microalgae combine high lipid content with the ability to grow under diverse environmental conditions, the oleaginous species of family Scenedesmaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyta) having emerged as a promising source for biofuels, biostimulants, and bioremediation. This study provides long-read genome sequencing of 38 species/strains of Scenedesmaceae, including 16 chromosome-level genome assemblies, to explore the genomic underpinnings of the exceptional adaptive properties of their vegetative cells. Gene family analysis identifies ‘core’ and ‘dispensible’ orthogroups in the Scenedesmaceae and unveils orthogroup expansions and gains in four major metabolic processes that enhance survival of cells under stress: lipid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, resistance to oxidative stress, and heterotrophy. We discover orthogroup gains by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from non-viridiplant donors in all four processes. Additionally, we identify ten diploid strains, which likely evolved by fusion of gametes and vegetative growth of the diploid cells. We hypothesize that HGT and diploidy fostered adaptive processes in the Scenedesmaceae.

KW - physiological stress

KW - physiological adaptation

KW - biological evolution

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KW - diploidy

KW - metabolism

KW - molecular evolution

KW - gene transfer

KW - horizontal

KW - phylogeny

KW - stress

KW - biofuel

KW - cell component

KW - genome

KW - lipid

KW - microalga

KW - survival

KW - green alga

KW - horizontal gene transfere

KW - physiology

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2

DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-71696-2

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 17

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

M1 - 5618 (2026)

ER -

Horizontal gene transfer and diploidy illuminate evolution and stress adaptation in oleaginous Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyta)

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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