Senior Researcher
Marine Biotechnology Department

Tel. +39 081 5833262
Fax: +39 081 7641355
e-mail christophe.brunet(at)szn.it
Skype: Chrbrunet

Download Curriculum Vitae

Research interests

My research interest focuses on microalgal photosynthesis and its regulation to light climate variations. Indeed, light is the most relevant trigger for photosynthesis even though it is the most variable parameter at sea over different temporal and spatial scales. The main question I address regards how microalgal cells do acclimate and regulate to changing light environment as it occurs in the water column. I investigate the role and functioning of processes relied to photoprotection, especially xanthophyll cycle activation and non-photochemical quenching, as well as photoacclimation, through biochemical and physiological approaches. In my studies, I explore the role of the functional biodiversity and ecology of microalgae on their photoresponse capacities. More recently, I am also exploring how can we improve the growth of microalgae and the production of primary metabolites from microalgae, this aim being one of the main challenges for increasing the biotechnological applications of microalgae. In this field, I am strongly interested in the "photosynthetic biotechnology" applications, i.e. investigating how can we improve the algal production efficiency and synthesis of valuable products with light manipulation.

Selected Publications

Barra L., Chandrasekaran R., Corato F., Brunet C., 2014. The challenge of ecophysiological biodiversity for biotechnological applications of marine microalgae. Review paper. Marine drugs, 12, 1641-1675; doi:10.3390/md12031641.

Brunet C., Conversano F., Margiotta F., Dimier C., Polimene L., Tramontano F.  and Saggiomo V., 2013. The role of light and photophysiological properties on phytoplankton succession during the spring bloom in the NorthWestern Mediterranean sea. Advances in Oceanography and Limnology, 4, 1-19.

Brunet C., R. Chandrasekaran, L. Barra, V. Giovagnetti, F. Corato and A.V. Ruban. 2014. Spectral radiation dependent photoprotective mechanism in diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. Plos One, 9(1): e87015.   doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087015.

Chandrasekaran R., Barra L., Carillo S., Caruso T., Corsaro L, Dal Piaz F., Graziani G., Corato F., Pepe D., Manfredonia A., Orefice I., Ruban A. and Brunet C. 2014. Light modulation of biomass and macromolecular composition of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi. Journal of Biotechnology, 192: 114-122.

Dimier C., Saviello G., Tramontano F. and Brunet C. 2009. Comparative ecophysiology of the xanthophyll cycle in six marine phytoplanktonic species. Protist, 160: 397-411.

Dimier, C., Brunet C., Geider R. and Raven J., 2009. Growth and photoregulation dynamics of the picoeukaryote Pelagomonas calceolata in fluctuating light. Limnol & Oceanography, 54(3): 823-836.

Giovagnetti V., Cataldo M.L., Conversano F. and Brunet C., 2012. Growth and photophysiological response curves of the two picoplanktonic Minutocellus sp. RCC967 and RCC703 (Bacillariophyceae). Eur. J. Phycology. 47:4, 408-420.

Giovagnetti V., Brunet C., Conversano F., Tramontano F., I. Obernosterer, Ridame C., Guieu C., 2013. Assessing the role of dust deposition on phytoplankton ecophysiology and succession in a low-nutrient low-chlorophyll ecosystem: a mesocosm experiment in the Mediterranean sea. Biogeosciences, 10, 2973–2991.

Giovagnetti V., S. Flori, F. Tramontano, J. Lavaud and C. Brunet., 2014. The velocity of light intensity increase modulates the photoprotective response in coastal diatoms. PlosOne, 9 (8): e103782.

Book chapters

Brunet, C., Johnsen, G., Lavaud, J., Roy, S. (2011). Pigments and photoacclimation processes. In Phytoplankton Pigments, Characterization, Chemotaxonomy and Applications in Oceanography. Roy S, Johnsen G, Llewellyn C, Skarstad E (eds) Series: Oceanographic Methodologies Vol. 2, SCOR-UNESCO Publishing, Cambridge University Press. ISBN:9781107000667, 880 pages.