''Porphyridium purpureum'' is a species of

red algae Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), make up one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta comprises one of the largest Phylum, phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 recognized species within over 900 Genus, genera amidst ongoing taxon ...

in the family

Porphyridiophyceae Porphyridiophyceae is a class of red algae. This class includes the monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include ...

. ''Porphyridium cruentum'' is considered a heterotypic synonym of ''P. purpureum'' by

AlgaeBase AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of algae, both seaweed, marine and freshwater algae, freshwater, as well as sea-grass. History AlgaeBase began in March 1996, founded by Michael D. Guiry, Michael Guiry. Text ...

following Drew. The microalga ''Porphyridium'' sp. is a potential source for several products like fatty acids, lipids, cell-wall polysaccharides and pigments . The polysaccharides of this species are sulfated and their structure gives rise to some unique properties that could lead to a broad range of industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Additionally, ''P. cruentum'' biomass contains carbohydrates of up to 57% have been reported. Thus, the combined amount of carbohydrates in biomass and exopolysaccharides of this microalga could potentially provide the source for bio-fuel and pharmaceutical. This alga contains phycoerythrin that can be extracted by lyse and chromatography. ''Porphyridium purpureum'' is used as a

model species A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Mode ...

for

Rhodophyta Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), make up one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 recognized species within over 900 genera amidst ongoing taxonomic revisions. ...

. Remarkably, bacterial

plasmid A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria and ...

s can replicate in its

cell nucleus The cell nucleus (; : nuclei) is a membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryote, eukaryotic cell (biology), cells. Eukaryotic cells usually have a single nucleus, but a few cell types, such as mammalian red blood cells, have #Anucleated_cells, ...

unchanged: the bacterial

origin of replication The origin of replication (also called the replication origin) is a particular sequence in a genome at which replication is initiated. Propagation of the genetic material between generations requires timely and accurate duplication of DNA by semi ...

"just works". This could explain the extensive presence of bacterial genes acquired through

horizontal gene transfer Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the movement of genetic material between organisms other than by the ("vertical") transmission of DNA from parent to offspring (reproduction). HGT is an important factor in the e ...

in Rhodophyta.

References

External links

* {{Authority control, additional =Q747158 Porphyridiophyceae Algaculture Algae fuel