Abstract
Nutrient deficiency induces a variety of cellular responses, including an increase in lipid accumulation in microalgae. Nitrogen starvation is the most studied deprivation. Here, we determine the effects of phosphorus and sulfur limitation on lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris. A set of 9 experiments were performed, varying the initial concentration of these nutrients (set to 0, 50, and 100% of their original composition in Bold’s basal medium). According to our results, the variation of P and S modified the specific growth rate, lag phase, and cell generation time. The ratio of 50%P and 0%S significantly increased the total lipid concentration. The fatty acid profile was dominated by C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1; a considerable increase in C20:5 was observed with 0%P and 50%S and 0%P and 100%S. Regarding neutral lipids, the response surface methodology (RSM) indicates that the maximum was observed when S was between 40 and 60% and P was between 95 and 100%. Therefore, the enhanced production of lipids caused by P and S limitation may contribute to the efficient oil production useful for algal biofuels.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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RESG acknowledges the Fondo Sectorial de Investigación para la Educación CONACyT, CB2017-2018 A1-S-8367.
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AEDT thanks CONACyT-Mexico for the financial support given for performing her studies (register 29917).
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Conceptualization, R.E.S.G. and A.E.G.T.; methodology, A.E.G.T. and A.R.U.; formal analysis, A.R.U. and A.E.OA.; resources, R.E.S.G.; writing original draft preparation, R.E.S.G. and A.E.O.A.; funding acquisition, R.E.S.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Highlights
• Phosphate and sulfur limitation enhances neutral lipid content.
• The ratio of 50% P:0% S increases the total lipid concentration.
• Palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids are the main fatty acids found.
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Gómez-De la Torre, A., Ochoa-Alfaro, A., Rocha-Uribe, A. et al. Effects of sulfur and phosphorus concentration on the lipid accumulation and fatty acid profile in Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorophyta). Folia Microbiol 68, 453–463 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-022-01029-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-022-01029-5