Recent Posts

Small RNAs and nutrient deprivation in Chlamydomonas

Li et al. find a class of small RNAs that might affect algal tolerance to nutritional stress.  Yingshan Li and Heriberto Cerutti - School of Biological Sciences and Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68588-0666, USA  Background: Noncoding RNAs are not translated…

A unique photoinhibition protection mechanism in Chlorella ohadii that thrives in extreme high-light intensities

In plants and algae, excessive light can damage the photosystem and lead to a decrease in photosynthetic capacity, a process called photoinhibition (PI). Levin et al. showed that Chlorella ohadii isolated from the Negev desert in Israel lacks or has limited capability of the usual photoprotection mechanisms…

Carbon flux through photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism show distinct patterns between algae, C3, and C4 plants (Nature Plants)

Photosynthesis is an attractive target for improving crop yields, and tailoring downstream photosynthesis-associated metabolism is a relatively unexplored path for achieving this. Chlorella ohadii is the fastest growing photosynthetic organism identified, has high photosynthetic rates, and can survive…
Manuel and his grandfather, Antonio Mora who continues to farm and tend his crops every day, except for Sundays which he reserves for family and church. This image was taken during a hike we shared in Santiago Tangamandapio Michoacan during December 2019, where he took Manuel to share the site and tree where his own grandfather passed.

URM Plant Scientist Highlights - Manuel Mora (he/him)

Manuel Mora (he/him) is a doctoral student in the Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Developmental Program (MBIDP)  at UCLA. Born in Santa Ana, CA, Manuel was raised between California and the town of Santiago Tangamandapio in Michoacan, Mexico. Growing up he enjoyed playing soccer, but when living…