Marine dinoflagellate proteomics: Current status and future perspectives

•Dinoflagellates are the primary producers and an essential component of the food chain.•Dinoflagellates result in harmful algal blooms and various shellfish poisonings.•Proteomics provides direct evidence of physiological and metabolic activities of dinoflagellates.•Proteomics has shown its powerful potential in the study of marine dinoflagellates.•The application of proteomic approaches to marine dinoflagellates still faces serious challenges.

Dinoflagellates are not only the important primary producers and an essential component of the food chain in the marine ecosystem, but also the major causative species resulting in harmful algal blooms (HABs) and various shellfish poisonings. Although much work has been devoted to the dinoflagellates, our understanding of them is still extremely limited owing to their unusual features. Proteomics, a large-scale study of the structure and function of proteins in complex biological samples, has been introduced to the study of marine dinoflagellates and has shown its powerful potential with regard to revealing their physiological and metabolic characteristics. However, the application of proteomic approaches to unsequenced dinoflagellates is still in its infancy and faces considerable challenges. This review summarizes recent progress in marine dinoflagellate proteomics and discusses the limitations and prospects for this approach to their study.Scientific questionThe dinoflagellates are the major causative agent responsible for harmful algal blooms and paralytic shellfish poisoning around the world. However, our understanding of them is still extremely limited owing to their unusual features, such as large genome size and permanently condensed chromosomes, which impedes the monitoring, mitigation and prevention of HABs.Technical significanceProteomics, a large-scale study of the structure and function of proteins in complex biological samples, has been introduced to the study of marine dinoflagellates and has shown its powerful potential with regard to revealing their physiological and metabolic characteristics.Scientific significanceThis review summarizes recent progress in marine dinoflagellate proteomics with regard to methodology, cell growth, toxin biosynthesis, environmental stress, cell wall and surface, and symbiosis, and discusses the limitations and prospects for this approach to dinoflagellate study.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics of non-model organisms.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (80 K)Download as PowerPoint slide