Abstract
The aerial microalga (Coccomyxa subellipsoidea KGU-D001) was photoautotrophically cultured under aerial phase conditions, and the influence of the nitrogen source on lipid production was investigated. Coccomyxa biofilms were introduced onto cotton wool using pure water (i.e., nutrient depletion) or a nitrogen-containing solution in a Petri dish, and they were cultured for 14 days under aerial phase conditions. The biomass in the biofilm increased by more than 150% in 14 days under nutrient depleted conditions and then increased further by approximately 30% following the addition of a nitrogen source. The lipid content rose under both nutrient depletion and nitrogen-added conditions, increasing by 170 and 150% in 14 days, respectively. The protein and sugar contents were also monitored and analyzed. In the presence of a nitrogen source, C. subellipsoidea undergo cell division in a relatively short time span, and biomass and lipids can be synthesized under both nutrient depleted and nitrogen-added conditions.
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The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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We thank Suzanne Adam, PhD, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.
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This work was supported by the Strategic Research Foundation Grant-aided Project for Private Universities from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science, and Technology, Japan (S1411005); 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.
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NA, EK and KF conceived the study, EK and RM aided with study design and analysis. NA drafted the manuscript and all authors edited the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version.
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Aburai, N., Kitajima, E., Morita, R. et al. Nitrogen-assisted lipid production by biofilms of aerial microalga Coccomyxa subellipsoidea KGU-D001 in the aerial phase. Arch Microbiol 205, 60 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-022-03389-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-022-03389-5