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Majid Moshirfar,1– 3 Jordan M Santos,4 David S Cha,5 Michael Herron,6 Isabella M Stoakes,1,7 Phillip C Hoopes1 1Hoopes Vision Research Center, Hoopes Vision, Draper, UT, USA; 2John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 3Utah Lions Eye Bank, Murray, UT, USA; 4University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA; 5Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA; 6University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA; 7Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, Yakima, WA, USACorrespondence: Majid Moshirfar, Hoopes Vision Research Center, Hoopes Vision, 11820 S. State St. #200, Draper, UT, 84020, USA, Tel +1 801-568-0200, Fax +1 801-563-0200, Email cornea2020@me.comPurpose: To provide a comprehensive guide of all implantable collamer lens (ICL) sizing nomograms and the respective preoperative diagnostic devices that are required. This guide would help clinicians in choosing the appropriate ICL size for myopic patients to optimize postoperative vault height.Methods: A literature search of peer-reviewed journals describing methods and postoperative outcomes of ICL sizing was conducted. Research articles containing ICL nomograms or formulas were identified from this search. Preoperative variables necessary for these nomograms and the required diagnostic devices to measure these parameters such as topography, biometry, or ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) were noted. An additional search was conducted to identify artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML)-derived nomograms.Results: Eighteen ICL sizing nomograms were identified through literature search. Five of these nomograms are available for use and require topography or biometry devices. Of these, four include the manufacturer’s, optimized white-to-white (WTW), Kang, Kim, and Rocamora Nomograms. Eight of the 18 nomograms available for use require UBM. Eight of these include the Kojima, Nakamura, KS, ZZ, Dougherty, Parkhurst, Russo, and Reinstein Nomograms. Four of the 18 nomograms are ML-derived including Shen, Rocamora, Russo, and Kang Nomograms.Conclusion: ICL nomograms are a vital tool in helping clinicians select the right ICL size for myopic patients to optimize postoperative vault reducing risk of postoperative complications. Based on available diagnostic devices such as topography, biometry, or UBM clinicians can integrate specific nomograms into practice.Keywords: phakic intraocular lens, pIOL, myopia, implantable contact lens, EVO, Visian ICL, artificial intelligence, machine learning model, ICL sizing, ICL formula

Majid Moshirfar,1– 3 Michael S Herron,4 David S Cha,5 Jordan M Santos,6 Levi T Miller,7 Phillip C Hoopes Sr1 1Hoopes Vision Research Center, Hoopes Vision, Draper, UT, 84020, USA; 2John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 3Utah Lions Eye Bank, Murray, UT, USA; 4University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA; 5Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; 6University of Arizona, Phoenix School of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA; 7Utah State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Logan, UT, USACorrespondence: Majid Moshirfar, Hoopes Vision Research Center, 11820 S. State St. &num;200, Draper, UT, 84020, USA, Tel\Fax +1 801-568-0200, Email cornea2020@me.comPurpose: We assess the relationship between preoperative myopic sphere, astigmatism, and spherical equivalent and effective optical zone (EOZ) size, shape, and decentration within individual populations of post-LASIK, PRK, and SMILE patients.Patients and Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted with 118 LASIK, 144 PRK, and 41 SMILE eyes from 179 total patients that underwent compound myopic ablation. One-year postoperative Pentacam tangential difference maps were used for EOZ data measurements. Correlational analysis between compound myopic measures [sphere, cylinder, manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE)] and EOZ parameters was performed, and differences between groups of myopic sphere and cylinder within each surgery type were assessed.Results: An increase in absolute myopic sphere (and subsequent MRSE) is associated with a smaller EOZ area in SMILE (r=0.454, p=0.003) and a more circular EOZ shape in LASIK (r=0.396, p< 0.001) and PRK (r=0.563, p< 0.001). An increase in absolute myopic cylinder is associated with an increased EOZ area in all three surgery types [LASIK (r=− 0.459, p< 0.001), PRK (r=− 0.716, p< 0.001), SMILE (r=− 0.429, p=0.005)] and a more elliptical EOZ in LASIK (r=− 0.491, p< 0.001) and PRK (r=− 0.538, p< 0.001).Conclusion: While astigmatism may be correlated to EOZ size within all three refractive surgery types, myopic sphere alone is insufficient to estimate EOZ size differences for procedures with a large blend zone of ablation like LASIK or PRK. Shape is just as important a factor as size to consider when examining corneal EOZ differences; reported correlative findings likely result from inherent differences in surgical technique and abruptness of planned surgical ablation borders.Keywords: EOZ, OZ, Pentacam, tangential difference map

Mixotrophs are increasingly recognized for their wide distribution in aquatic ecosystems and significant contributions to biogeochemical cycling. Many taxa within the phyla Chrysophyta, Cryptophyta, and Haptophyta are capable of phago‐mixotrophy, however, phagotrophy in the Chlorophyta remains controversial due to insufficient research and solid evidence. In this study, we identified a new strain, Picochlorum sp. GLMF1 (Trebouxiophyceae), using 18S rRNA gene analysis and morphological observations. It displayed multi‐cell division through autosporulation (two‐ or four‐cell daughters) and has two unequal flagella that have never been reported in the genus Picochlorum. By using multiple methods, including 3D bioimaging analysis, acidic food vacuole‐like compartment staining, and prey reduction calculation, we discovered and confirmed bacterivory in Picochlorum, which provided strong evidence for phago‐mixotrophy in this green alga. In addition, we found that Picochlorum sp. GLMF1 cannot grow under complete darkness or prey‐depleted conditions, suggesting that both light and bacteria are indispensable for this strain, and its mixotrophic nutrition mode is obligate. Like other phago‐phototrophs, Picochlorum sp. GLMF1 is capable of regulating their growth and ingestion rates according to light intensity and inorganic nutrient concentration. The confirmation of mixotrophy in this Picochlorum strain advances our understanding of the trophic roles of green algae, as well as the photosynthetic picoeukaryotes, in marine microbial food webs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reported the significant effect of auxin and gibberellin on mixoploid cultures created by colchicine in Dunaliella salina. Polyploidy induction increased growth and the amount of all biochemical parameters measured in this work including chlorophyll, carotenoid, starch, glycerol, sugar, and protein. Treatment with colchicine 0.1%, which resulted in 58.26% of polyploid cells, had a better effect on increasing the amount of analyzed parameters. Auxin increased the amount of all measured parameters except protein. Low concentrations of auxin (1 and 10 µM) caused an increase in growth and the amount of chlorophyll, carotenoid, sugar, starch, glycerol, and protein in the cells treated with colchicine. Gibberellin significantly increased the amount of the mentioned parameters in a concentration‐dependent manner. In cultures treated with colchicine, additive effects of gibberellin were observed in glycerol, protein, starch, and sugar content. Our results showed that the use of phytohormones such as auxin and gibberellin can be a good way to increase the biochemical value of algal polyploid cell biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals and fungi produce cholesterol and ergosterol, respectively, while plants produce the phytosterols stigmasterol, campesterol, and β‐sitosterol in various combinations. The recent sequencing of many algal genomes allows the detailed reconstruction of the sterol metabolic pathways. Here, we characterized sterol synthesis in two sequenced Chlorella spp., the free‐living C. sorokiniana, and symbiotic C. variabilis NC64A. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was included as an internal control and Coccomyxa subellipsoidea as a plant‐like outlier. We found that ergosterol was the major sterol produced by Chlorella spp. and C. reinhardtii, while C. subellipsoidea produced the three phytosterols found in plants. In silico analysis of the C. variabilis NC64A, C. sorokiniana, and C. subellipsoidea genomes identified 22 homologs of sterol biosynthetic genes from Arabidopsis thaliana, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and C. reinhardtii. The presence of CAS1, CPI1, and HYD1 in the four algal genomes suggests the higher plant cycloartenol branch for sterol biosynthesis, confirming that algae and fungi use different pathways for ergosterol synthesis. Phylogenetic analysis for 40 oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs) showed that the nine algal OSCs clustered with the cycloartenol cyclases, rather than the lanosterol cyclases, with the OSC for C. subellipsoidea positioned in between the higher plants and the eight other algae. With regard to why C. subellipsoidea produced phytosterols instead of ergosterol, we identified 22 differentially conserved positions where C. subellipsoidea CAS and A. thaliana CAS1 have one amino acid while the three ergosterol producing algae have another. Together, these results emphasize the position of the unicellular algae as an evolutionary transition point for sterols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species within the genus Chara have variable salinity tolerance. Their close evolutionary relationship with embryophytes makes their study crucial to understanding the evolution of salt tolerance and key evolutionary processes shared among the phyla. We examined salt‐tolerant Chara longifolia and salt‐sensitive Chara australis for mechanisms of salt tolerance and their potential role in adaptation to salt. We hypothesize that there are shared mechanisms similar to those in embryophytes, which assist in conferring salt tolerance in Chara, including a cation transporter (HKT), a Na+/H+ antiport (NHX), a H+‐ATPase (AHA), and a Na+‐ATPase (ENA). Illumina transcriptomes were created using cultures grown in freshwater and exposed to salt stress. The presence of these candidate genes, identified by comparing with genes known from embryophytes, has been confirmed in both species of Chara, with the exception of ENA, present only in salt‐tolerant C. longifolia. These transcriptomes provide evidence for the contribution of these mechanisms to differences in salt tolerance in the two species and for the independent evolution of the Na+‐ATPase. We also examined genes that may have played a role in important evolutionary processes, suggested by previous work on the Chara braunii genome. Among the genes examined, cellulose synthase protein (GT43) and response regulator (RRB) were confirmed in both species. Genes absent from all three Chara species were members of the GRAS family, microtubule‐binding protein (TANGLED1), and auxin synthesizers (YUCCA, TAA). Results from this study shed light on the evolutionary relationship between Chara and embryophytes through confirmation of shared salt tolerance mechanisms, as well as unique mechanisms that do not occur in angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) encompass a diverse group of plant cell wall proteoglycans, which play an essential role in plant development, signaling, plant‐microbe interactions, and many others. Although they are widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom and extensively studied, they remain largely unexplored in the lower plants, especially in seaweeds. Ulva species have high economic potential since various applications were previously described including bioremediation, biofuel production, and as a source of bioactive compounds. This article presents the first experimental confirmation of AGP‐like glycoproteins in Ulva species and provides a simple extraction protocol of Ulva lactuca AGP‐like glycoproteins, their partial characterization and unique comparison to scarcely described Solanum lycopersicum AGPs. The reactivity with primary anti‐AGP antibodies as well as Yariv reagent showed a great variety between Ulva lactuca and Solanum lycopersicum AGP‐like glycoproteins. While the amino acid analysis of the AGP‐like glycoproteins purified by the β‐d‐glucosyl Yariv reagent showed a similarity between algal and land plant AGP‐like glycoproteins, neutral saccharide analysis revealed unique glycosylation of the Ulva lactuca AGP‐like glycoproteins. Surprisingly, arabinose and galactose were not the most prevalent monosaccharides and the most outstanding was the presence of 3‐O‐methyl‐hexose, which has never been described in the AGPs. The exceptional structure of the Ulva lactuca AGP‐like glycoproteins implies a specialized adaptation to the marine environment and might bring new insight into the evolution of the plant cell wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species within the green algal order Cladophorales have an unconventional plastome structure where individual coding regions or small numbers of genes occur as linear single‐stranded DNAs folded into hairpin structures. Another group of photosynthetic organisms with an equivalently reduced chloroplast genome are the peridinin dinoflagellates of the Alveolata eukaryotic lineage whose plastomes are mini‐circles carrying one or a few genes required for photosynthesis. One unusual aspect of the Alveolata is the polyuridylylation of mRNA 3′ ends among peridinin dinoflagellates and the chromerid algae. This study was conducted to understand if an unconventional highly reduced plastome structure co‐occurs with unconventional RNA processing. To address this, the 5′ and 3′ mRNA termini of the known chloroplast genes of Pithophora roettleri (order Cladophorales) were analyzed for evidence of post‐transcriptional processing. Circular Reverse Transcriptase PCR (cRT‐PCR) followed by deep sequencing of the amplicons was used to analyze 5′ and 3′ mRNA termini. Evidence of several processing events were collected, most notably the 3′ termini of six of the eight genes were polyuridylylated, which has not been reported for any lineage outside of the Alveolata. Other processing events include poly(A) and heteropolymeric 3′ additions, 5′ primary transcript start sites, as well as the presence of circularized RNAs. Five other species representing other green algal lineages were also tested and poly(U) additions appear to be limited to the order Cladophorales. These results demonstrate that chloroplast mRNA polyuridylylation is not the sole provenance of photosynthetic alveolates and may have convergently evolved in two distinct photosynthetic lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological and molecular features were analyzed for a species of Phacus to better understand the phylogenetic relationships among them and establish the taxonomy. Phylogenetic analyses were based on nSSU rDNA and the research resulted in 55 new sequences. The study included species available in algal collections and those isolated directly from the environment in Poland and the Czech Republic. As a result, the obtained phylogenetic tree of Phacus includes 50 species, out of which 7 are represented on a tree for the first time (Phacus anacoelus, P. anomalus, P. curvicauda, P. elegans, P. lismorensis, P. minutus and P. stokesii) and many have been taxonomically verified. For all verified species, diagnostic descriptions were amended, the naming was reordered and epitypes were designated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations of many Mediterranean marine species show a strong phylogeographic structure, but the knowledge available for native seaweeds is limited. We investigated the genetic diversity of the green alga Halimeda tuna based on two plastid markers (tufA gene and a newly developed amplicon spanning five ribosomal protein genes and intergenic spacers, the rpl2‐rpl14 region). The tufA sequences showed that Mediterranean H. tuna represents a single, well‐defined species. The rpl2‐rpl14 results highlighted a genetic separation between western and eastern Mediterranean populations; specimens collected from widely scattered locations in the Adriatic/Ionian region shared a haplotype unique to this region, and formed a group separated from all western Mediterranean regions. Specimens from Sardinia also formed a unique haplotype. Within the western Mediterranean basin, a gradual shift in the frequency of haplotypes was apparent along a West‐East gradient. Our results represent the first clear evidence of an East‐West genetic cleavage in a native Mediterranean macroalga and offer an interesting perspective for further research into fine‐scale seaweed population structure in the NW Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eukaryotic green microalga Tetraselmis suecica is commonly used for aquaculture purposes because of its high stress tolerance and ease of culture in a wide spectrum of environments; they are therefore suitable candidates for biotechnology applications. To date, no data are available regarding chloroplast transformation vectors based on specific endogenous promoters and homologous targeting regions. We report on the identification of Tetraselmis suecica genes encoding the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit protein, the photosystem II D1 protein and the ATP synthase CF1‐beta subunit protein together with their untranslated regions (5′UTR, 3′UTR). The full‐length ORFs of the putative genes with their regulatory sequences were obtained. We were also able to identify the downstream 3′ end of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (23S) along with the 5S RNA end‐to‐end with the psbA gene on the complementary strand. The intergenic region between these genes appears to be a good target site for the integration of target proteins. Moreover, we identified a back‐to‐back promoter region among the rbcL and atpB genes. To assess the bidirectionality activities of both promoters, a dual reporter vector was constructed for Tetraselmis suecica transformation containing the cat and TurboGFP genes driven by the 5′rbcL/5′atpB divergent promoter. The vector included the 23S‐5S and psbA nucleotide sequences as flanking regions. These flanking regions provided suitable insertion sites within the chloroplast genome for cassette integration via homologous recombination. Simultaneous expression of the chloramphenicol‐resistant conferring gene and the gene coding for TurboGFP driven by 5′rbcL/5′atpB showed a potent natural bidirectional promoter as a reliable genetic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]