The Phaeoexplorer brown algal genome database is housed at Roscoff Biological Station in Brittany, France. The database not only provides access the genome data generated by the Phaeoexplorer brown algal genome sequencing project (see below) but also integrates publicly-available brown algal genome assemblies produced by other projects.

Denoeud, F., Godfroy, O., Cruaud, C., Heesch, S., Nehr, Z., Tadrent, N., Couloux, A., Brillet-Guéguen, L., Delage, L., Mckeown, D., Motomura, T., Sussfeld, D., Fan, X., Mazéas, L., Terrapon, N., Barrera-Redondo, J., Petroll, R., Reynes, L., Choi, S.-W., Jo, J., Uthanumallian, K., Bogaert, K., Duc, C., Ratchinski, P., Lipinska, A., Noel, B., Murphy, A.E., Lohr, M., Khatei, A., Hamon-Giraud, P., Vieira, C., Akerfors, S.S., Akita, S., Avia, K., Badis, Y., Barbeyron, T., Belcour, A., Berrabah, W., Blanquart, S., Bouguerba-Collin, A., Bringloe, T., Cattolico, R.A., Cormier, A., Cruz de Carvalho, H., Dallet, R., De Clerck, O., Debit, A., Denis, E., Destombe, C., Dinatale, E., Dittami, S., Drula, E., Faugeron, S., Got, J., Graf, L., Groisillier, A., Guillemin, M.-L., Harms, L., Hatchett, W.J., Henrissat, B., Hoarau, G., Jollivet, C., Jueterbock, A., Kayal, E., Knoll, A.H., Kogame, K., Le Bars, A., Leblanc, C., Le Gall, L., Ley, R., Liu, X., LoDuca, S.T., Lopez, P.J., Lopez, P., Manirakiza, E., Massau, K., Mauger, S., Mest, L., Michel, G., Monteiro, C., Nagasato, C., Nègre, D., Pelletier, E., Phillips, N., Potin, P., Rensing, S.A., Rousselot, E., Rousvoal, S., Schroeder, D., Scornet, D., Siegel, A., Tirichine, L., Tonon, T., Valentin, K., Verbruggen, H., Weinberger, F., Wheeler, G., Kawai, H., Peters, A.F., Yoon, H.S., Hervé, C., Ye, N., Bapteste, E., Valero, M., Markov, G.V., Corre, E., Coelho, S.M., Wincker, P., Aury, J.-M. and Cock, J.M. (2024). Evolutionary genomics of the emergence of brown algae as key components of coastal ecosystems. Cell 187, 6943–6965. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.049

Ratchinski, P., Godfroy, O., Noel, B., Aury, J.-M. and Cock, J.M. (2025). Life-cycle-related gene expression patterns in the brown algae. eLife, 14:RP107449. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.107449.1

Rousselot, E., Cock, J.M., Tirichine, L. and Duc, C. (2024). Identification of novel H2A histone variants across diverse clades of algae. Genome Biology, 26, 299. DOI: 10.1186/s13059-025-03656-w

Barrera-Redondo, J., Lipinska, A.P., Liu, P., Dinatale, E., Cossard, G., Bogaert, K., Hoshino, M., Avia, K., Leiria, G., Avdievich, E., Liesner, D., Luthringer, R., Godfroy, O., Heesch, S., Nehr, Z., Brillet-Guéguen, L., Peters, A.P., Hoarau, G., Pearson, G., Aury, J.-M., Wincker, P., Denoeud, F., Cock, J.M., Haas, F.B. and Coelho, S.M. (2024). Origin and evolutionary trajectories of brown algal sex chromosomes, 9, 2127-2144 Nat Ecol Evol. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02838-w

Nehr, Z., Avia, K., Godfroy, O., Jacquemin, B., Mauger, S., Farhat, P., Gouhier, E., Coudret, J., Fort, A., Sulpice, R., Cruaud, C., Jaugeon, L., Potin, P., Valero, M. and Cock, J.M. (2025). Genetic and transcriptomic analysis of a Saccharina latissima segregating F2 family detects groups of individuals with different responses to temperature stress. Algal Research, 91, 104203. DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2025.104203

Mckeown, D., Cormier, A., Schroeder, D., Couloux, A., Tadrent, N., Cock, J.M. and Corre, E. (2025). Multiple, diverse endogenous giant virus elements within the genome of a brown alga. Virus Evolution, 11, veaf009. DOI: 10.1093/ve/veaf009

Mazéas L., Bouguerba-Collin A., Cock J.M., Denoeud F., Godfroy O., Brillet-Guéguen L., Barbeyron T., Lipinska A.P., Delage L., Corre E., Drula E., Henrissat B., Czjzek M., Terrapon N. and Hervé C. (2024). Candidate genes involved in biosynthesis and degradation of the main extracellular matrix polysaccharides of brown algae and their probable evolutionary history. BMC Genomics, 25, 950. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10811-3

Akita, S., Vieira, C., Hanyuda, T., Rousseau, F., Cruaud, C., Couloux, A., Heesch, S., Cock, J.M. and Kawai, K. (2022). Providing a phylogenetic framework for trait-based analyses in brown algae: phylogenomic tree inferred from 32 nuclear protein-coding sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 168, 107408. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107408

Cossard, G.G., Godfroy, O., Nehr, Z., Cruaud, C., Cock, J.M., Lipinska, A. and Coelho, S.M. (2022). Convergent gene expression changes driven by selection underlie transitions to co-sexuality in haploid sexual systems. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 6, 579–589. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01692-4

Mauger, S., Fouqueau, L., Avia, K., Reynes, L., Serrao, E., Neiva, J. and Valero, M. (2021). Development of tools to rapidly identify cryptic species and characterize their genetic diversity in different European kelp species. Journal of Applied Phycology, 33, 4169–4186. DOI: 10.1007/s10811-021-02613-x

Reynes, L., Thibaut, T., Mauger, S., Blanfuné, A., Holon, F., Cruaud, C., Couloux, C., Valero, M., Aurelle, D. (2020) Genomic signatures of clonality in the deep water kelp Laminaria rodriguezii. Molecular Ecology. 30, 1806–1822. DOI: 10.1111/mec.15860

You can find out which project funded which sequencing in the following pdf file: Data Origin Phaeoexplorer  

Phaeoexplorer (France Genomique) project coordinator

J. Mark Cock (Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR8227, CNRS)

Phaeoexplorer (France Genomique) project co-coordinator

France Denoeud (Genoscope, CEA)

SexSea (ERC starting grant) project coordinator

Susana Coelho (Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR8227, CNRS; Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Algal Development and Evolution)

Idealg (ANR Future Investment Program) project coordinator

Philippe Potin (Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR8227, CNRS)

ERGA pilot phase, Phaeosaccion genome

Pedro Oliveira (Genoscope, CEA)

Strain selection and provision

Bezhin Rosko
• Akira Peters

Culture / Extractions

Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR8227, CNRS:
• Olivier Godfroy
• Svenja Heesch
• Chloé Jollivet
• Laeticia Mest
• Zofia Nehr
• Delphine Scornet

Sequencing assembly and annotation

Genoscope, CEA:
• France Denoeud - France Genomique Genoscope project leader
• Jean-Marc Aury
• Arnaud Couloux
• Corinne Cruaud
• Benjamin Noel
• Nachida Tadrent

Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR8227, CNRS:
• Olivier Godfroy
• Agnieszka Lipinska (Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Algal Development and Evolution)
• Nick Toda

Database development / Primary analysis

Station Biologique de Roscoff, ABiMS/FR2424 and UMR8227, CNRS:
• Erwan Corre
• Romain Dallet
• Olivier Godfroy
• Loraine Guéguen
• Ehsan Kayal (2019-2020)
• Arthur Le Bars
• Xi Liu (2017-2018)
• Dean Mckeown
• Delphine Nègre (2018-2019)

Additional partner institutes and companies in the Phaeoexplorer Consortium

AFMB, Marseilles, France

Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Bremenhaven

Arcadia University, USA

Behzin Rosko, Santec, France

Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Faro, Portugal

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

Hokkaido University, Japan

INRAE, Colmar, France

INRIA, Rennes, France

Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR7138, Paris

IRISA, Rennes, France

Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

Marine Biological Assciation, Plymouth, UK

Minneapolis-St Paul University, USA

Muroran Marine Station, Hokkaido University, Japan

Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Paris, France

Nord University, Norway

Olmix, Bréhan, France

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

Rutgers University, USA

Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) , Oban, UK

Sungkyunkwan University, Korea

Sungkyunkwan University, North Korea

Université Rennes 1, Rennes, France

University of Cologne, Germany

University of Ghent, Belgium

University of Gothenburg, Sweden

University of Kobe, Japan

University of Marburg, Germany

University of Melbourne, Australia

University of Montpellier, France

University of Perpignan, France

University of Southern Denmark, SDU

University of Washington, USA

University of York, UK