报告摘要：

Diatoms play a vital role in the global ocean primary productivity sustaining life on our planet. The whole genome sequence of three diatom species (Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Fragilariopsis cylindrus) reveals a wealth of information on their genes and how their genome is structured1, 2. However, the plasticity of diatoms and the adaptation  to different environments implicate not only DNA sequences based regulation but also more reversible and flexible epigenetic changes. Therefore, the study of diatom epigenome can significantly enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying diatom adaptation to environmental changes and their ecological success. Genome wide distribution of DNA methylation and  histone modifications, two major components of epigenetic were investigated in the model pennate diatom P. tricornutum. The progress on these studies will be presented.