Extending the limits of algal growth and stress resilience – the desert alga Chlorella ohadii as an emerging model

Since its isolation from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert over a decade ago, the unicellular green alga Chlorella ohadii has turned into a reference organism for studying photosynthesis, metabolism, and abiotic stress response. Much of C. ohadii's appeal as an emerging model lies in its robust fast growth, comparable to yeast even as a photoautotroph. Hence, the detailed physiological, biochemical, and molecular studies that followed rapidly, together with extensive omics datasets, have revealed several of its intriguing biological features. We provide a historical perspective unfolding the rise of this species from survival in the harsh desert crusts to a widely used standard for photodamage resistance, dynamic metabolism, and elevated growth and photosynthetic performance, frequently with prominent relevance for plant research. We also spotlight how this case study enables exploration of photosynthesis in harsh habitats. Further, we discuss challenges in the development of genetic tools for the growing community studying C. ohadii, and current biotechnological approaches aiming to exploit its prime genetic potential. Finally, we refer to guidelines of good practice for C. ohadii research as a highly stress-resistant model.