Identification and metabolite profiling of chemical activators of lipid accumulation in green algae
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ABSTRACT: Microalgae are proposed as feedstock organisms useful for producing biofuels and co-products. However, several limitations must be overcome before algae-based production is economically feasible. Among these is the ability to induce lipid accumulation and storage without affecting biomass yield. To overcome this barrier, a chemical genetics approach was employed in which 43,783 compounds were screened against Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and 243 compounds were identified that increase triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation without terminating growth. Identified compounds were classified by structural similarity and 15 selected for secondary analyses addressing impacts on growth fitness, photosynthetic pigments, and total cellular protein and starch concentrations. TAG accumulation was verified using GC-MS quantification of total fatty acids and targeted TAG and galactolipid (GL) measurements using LC-MRM/MS. These results demonstrated TAG accumulation does not necessarily proceed at the expense of GL. Untargeted metabolite profiling provided important insights into pathway shifts due to 5 different compound treatments and verified the anabolic state of the cells with regard to the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, Calvin cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle and amino acid biosynthetic pathways. Metabolite patterns were distinct from nitrogen starvation and other abiotic stresses commonly used to induce oil accumulation in algae. The efficacy of these compounds was also demonstrated in 3 other algal species. These lipid inducing compounds offer a valuable set of tools for delving into the biochemical mechanisms of lipid accumulation in algae and a direct means to improve algal oil content independent of the severe growth limitations associated with nutrient deprivation.
INSTRUMENT(S): Single quadrupole
ORGANISM(S): Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Chlamydomonas
TISSUE(S): Algae
SUBMITTER: Nishikant Wase
PROVIDER: ST000622 | MetabolomicsWorkbench | Fri Jun 16 00:00:00 BST 2017
REPOSITORIES: MetabolomicsWorkbench
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