Induction of sexual reproduction in Spirogyra cultures for laser capture microdissection of gametes and zygotes

The study of specific cell types in macroalgae is challenging, particularly in the sexual phase of the life cycle. In this chapter, we present a method to induce sexual reproduction in the Charophyte alga Spirogyra in laboratory culture conditions. In addition, we report a procedure that is suitable for fixing sexually induced thalli and is compatible with the laser capture microdissection technique. This protocol enables the isolation of specific cell types from algal filaments and has been used to produce gamete- and zygote-specific transcriptomes of Spirogyra pratensis. Keywords Spirogyra, laser capture microdissection, gametogenesis, sexual reproduction, fixation procedure