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Linking lipid accumulation and photosynthetic efficiency in Nannochloropsis sp. under nutrient limitation and replenishment

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Abstract

Oleaginous microalgae can accumulate large amounts of storage lipids that have many potential applications such as in the production of biodiesel and health products. All of the energy for the synthesis of lipids in microalgae is derived from photosynthesis. To date, however, the quantitative relationship between photosynthesis and lipid accumulation rate in microalgae is still unclear. In this study, Nannochloropsis sp. was selected to explore this relationship by investigating changes in lipid accumulation, photosynthetic efficiency, and the electron transport chain under nutrients limitation and replenishment. The results of the study demonstrated that lipids were the main form of storage of carbon and energy for this microalga. The alternative electron transport chain played an important role in photo-protection and lipid accumulation. The photosynthetic efficiency of this microalga showed a strong correlation with lipid accumulation rate (R2 = 0.959), with higher photosynthetic efficiency translating to higher lipid accumulation rates during the lipid accumulation stage of the growth cycle. The results of the present study indicated that nutrient depletion might not be the best signal to understand when microalgae begin to accumulate oil, as it appears that photosynthetic efficiency also has a large role in the rate of oil accumulation. Additionally, the study shows that excessive light might not be needed in later stages of growth for lipid accumulation, which in turn would alleviate the damage to microalgae caused by strong light making large-scale cultivation more cost-effective.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to W. Tyler Mehler for assistance with the language of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported with funds from The National Natural Science Foundation of China (31602182) and The PhD Start-up Fund of Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2016A030310016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Institution of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Tao Li & Wenzhou Xiang

  2. Institute of Hydrobiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

    Weinan Wang, Chaojie Yuan, Ying Zhang, Jin Xu, Helong Zheng & Aifen Li

Authors
  1. Tao Li
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  2. Weinan Wang
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  3. Chaojie Yuan
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  4. Ying Zhang
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  5. Jin Xu
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  6. Helong Zheng
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  7. Wenzhou Xiang
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  8. Aifen Li
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Contributions

Tao Li designed the study, performed the experiments, analyzed the results, and drafted the manuscript. Chaojie Yuan and Weinan Wang carried out cultivation and the biochemical composition analysis of Nannochloropsis sp. Ying Zhang performed the statistical analysis and helped to draft the manuscript. Jin Xu participated in the isolation of Nannochloropsis sp. Helong Zheng and Wenzhou Xiang assisted in the determination of photosynthetic efficiency. Aifen Li took part in designing the study, coordinating the study, and assisted with revisions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Aifen Li.

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Figure S1

Nitrate and phosphate concentration in culture medium A. nitrate concentration; B. phosphate concentration. Ten mL of the culture was obtained and centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 10 min. The supernatant was collected and then filtered by using a piece of 0.22 μM filter membrane. The nitrate concentration was determined in this filtered sample using an AutoAnalyzer3 (Bran-Luebbe, Norderstedt, Germany). Analysis of phosphate concentration in the medium was done in accordance with the instruction of its respected kits. In short, PhosVer 3 phosphate reagent (21060–69) was added to each sample to determine phosphate concentrations, respectively. The collected filtrate for phosphate analysis was shaken for 15 s and allowed to rest for 2 min, while the collected filtrate for phosphate was shaken for 30 s with a 15 min rest period. Phosphate concentrations were determined using a Hach DR2700 (Hach, Loveland, USA) (JPG 1329 kb)

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Li, T., Wang, W., Yuan, C. et al. Linking lipid accumulation and photosynthetic efficiency in Nannochloropsis sp. under nutrient limitation and replenishment. J Appl Phycol 32, 1619–1630 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02056-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02056-w

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