ABSTRACT
Algae constitute a diverse and important group of organisms widely distributed on our planet. In addition to their ecological role, algae are exploited as a source of active biomolecules and are the basis in the large-scale food chain. Genome studies of various species of algae provided insight into many important aspects, including adaptation in environments, evolution of the genome through horizontal gene transfer and molecular diversity. These discoveries in the field of genomics have boosted other fields such as genetic engineering, both with regard to the production of transgenic algae and the use of these algae for the production of recombinant proteins that are very useful for the manufacture of vaccines, insecticides, biohydrogen and others metabolites that can be successfully used in medicine or industry. In this chapter, we discuss some examples of algae that have had their genomes sequenced and how the knowledge can be generally employed to benefit society in terms of the exploitation of algae and their related biotechnology.
