Cold Acclimation of the Thermoacidophilic Red Alga Galdieria sulphuraria: Changes in Gene Expression and Involvement of Horizontally Acquired Genes

Galdieria sulphuraria is a unicellular red alga that lives in hot, acidic, toxic metal-rich, volcanic environments, where few other organisms survive. Its genome harbors up to 5% of genes that were most likely acquired through horizontal gene transfer. These genes probably contributed to G.sulphuraria’s adaptation to its extreme habitats, resulting in today’s polyextremophilic traits. Here, we applied RNA-sequencing to obtain insights into the...