Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the roles of fatty acid biosynthesis in carotenogenesis in the high-lipid accumulating aerial microalga Vischeria helvetica KGU-Y001, we cultured algal cells with fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitors.
Results
Under nitrogen-deficient, high-light (200 µmol photons m−2 s−1) conditions, the alga accumulated 6.2 mg carotenoids g−1 dry weight cells (DWC) after 1 week of culture. The total fatty acid content increased gradually, and reached 290 mg g−1 DWC after 9 weeks. When algal cells were cultured with a fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitor (molinate) under nitrogen-deficient, high-light conditions for 1 week, carotenoid accumulation was synergistically increased to 2.4 times that in algal cells cultured without the inhibitor in nitrogen-deficient, low-light conditions (40 µmol photons m−2 s−1). The synergistic induction of carotenogenesis was suppressed by an inhibitor of c-jun N-terminal kinase, a mitogen-activated protein kinase-like protein.
Conclusion
In a commercial context, carotenoid production could be increased by using fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitors to redirect metabolic flux to carotenoid biosynthesis instead of fatty acid synthesis.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Research Institute for Science and Technology of Kogakuin University for a special Grant-in-Aid to earn KAKENHI by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This study was supported in part by a grant from the Strategic Research Foundation Grant-aided Project for Private Universities from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science, and Technology, Japan (S1411005).
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Aburai, N., Abe, K. Metabolic switching: synergistic induction of carotenogenesis in the aerial microalga, Vischeria helvetica, under environmental stress conditions by inhibitors of fatty acid biosynthesis. Biotechnol Lett 37, 1073–1080 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-015-1770-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-015-1770-z