Exocytosis of the silicified cell wall of diatoms involves extensive membrane disintegration

Diede Haan, Lior Aram, Hadas Peled-Zehavi, Yoseph Addadi, Oz Ben-Joseph, Ron Rotkopf, Nadav Elad, Katya Rechav and Assaf Gal ()
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Diede Haan: Weizmann Institute of Science
Lior Aram: Weizmann Institute of Science
Hadas Peled-Zehavi: Weizmann Institute of Science
Yoseph Addadi: Weizmann Institute of Science
Oz Ben-Joseph: Weizmann Institute of Science
Ron Rotkopf: Weizmann Institute of Science
Nadav Elad: Weizmann Institute of Science
Katya Rechav: Weizmann Institute of Science
Assaf Gal: Weizmann Institute of Science

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Diatoms are unicellular algae characterized by silica cell walls. These silica elements are known to be formed intracellularly in membrane-bound silica deposition vesicles and exocytosed after completion. How diatoms maintain membrane homeostasis during the exocytosis of these large and rigid silica elements remains unknown. Here we study the membrane dynamics during cell wall formation and exocytosis in two model diatom species, using live-cell confocal microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography. Our results show that during its formation, the mineral phase is in tight association with the silica deposition vesicle membranes, which form a precise mold of the delicate geometrical patterns. We find that during exocytosis, the distal silica deposition vesicle membrane and the plasma membrane gradually detach from the mineral and disintegrate in the extracellular space, without any noticeable endocytic retrieval or extracellular repurposing. We demonstrate that within the cell, the proximal silica deposition vesicle membrane becomes the new barrier between the cell and its environment, and assumes the role of a new plasma membrane. These results provide direct structural observations of diatom silica exocytosis, and point to an extraordinary mechanism in which membrane homeostasis is maintained by discarding, rather than recycling, significant membrane patches.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36112-z

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