Addressing various compartments of the diatom model organism Phaeodactylum tricornutum via sub-cellular marker proteins

The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a prominent organism to study protein import mechanisms into complex plastids surrounded by four membranes. In this regard, various molecular techniques were adapted and established for this organism, so that nowadays a broad range of questions in a variety of research disciplines can be addressed. At least in the case of sub-cellular localization studies, the different compartments of this complex structured organism have to be addressed by marker molecules. Here we present an arsenal of subcellular marker proteins, which provide defined localizations even on the sub-compartmental level and imply new and fascinating topics for further research.