Lineage-Specific Chromatin Signatures Reveal a Master Lipid Switch in Microalgae
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ABSTRACT: Alga-derived lipids represent an attractive potential source of biofuels. However, lipid accumulation in algae is a stress response tightly coupled to growth arrest, thereby imposing a major limitation on productivity. To identify master regulators of lipid accumulation and decipher the regulation of lipid biosynthetic pathway, we performed an integrative chromatin signature and transcriptomic analysis in the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Genome-wide histone modification profiling revealed remarkable differences in functional chromatin states between algae and higher eukaryotes and uncovered regulatory components at the core of lipid accumulation pathways. We identified the transcription factor PSR1 as a pivotal master switch that triggers cytosolic lipid hyper-accumulation an order of magnitude higher than stress regimens have achieved. Dissection of the PSR1 target network corroborates its central role in coordinating multiple stress responses. The comprehensive maps of functional chromatin signatures in a major clade of eukaryotic life and the discovery of a central regulator of algal lipid metabolism will facilitate targeted engineering strategies in microalgae.
ORGANISM(S): Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
PROVIDER: GSE59629 | GEO | 2015/07/28
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA255778
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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