Double-high in palmitic and oleic acids accumulation in a non-model green microalga, Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 under nitrate-repletion and -starvation cultivations

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: A Factory of Nutraceutical and Food Supplements for Human Health

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) is one of the most well-studied microalgae organisms that revealed important information for the photosynthetic and metabolic processes of plants and eukaryotes. Numerous extensive studies have also underpinned its great potential as a biochemical factory, capable of producing various highly desired molecules with a direct impact on human health and longevity. Polysaccharides, lipids, functional proteins, pigments, hormones, vaccines, and antibodies are among the valuable biomolecules that are produced spontaneously or under well-defined conditions by C. reinhardtii and can be directly linked to human nutrition and diet. The aim of this review is to highlight the recent advances in the field focusing on the most relevant applications related to the production of important biomolecules for human health that are also linked with human nutrition and diet. The limitations and challenges are critically discussed along with the potential future applications of C. reinhardtii biomass and processed products in the field of nutraceuticals and food supplements. The increasing need for high-value and low-cost biomolecules produced in an environmentally and economy sustainable manner also underline the important role of C. reinhardtii.

Competition at the Bio-nano Interface: A Protein, a Polysaccharide, and a Fatty Acid Adsorb onto Magnetic Nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles are an attractive bioseparation tool due to their magnetic susceptibility and high adsorption capacity for different types of molecules. A major challenge for separation is to generate selectivity for a target molecule, or for a group of molecules in complex environments such as cell lysates. It is crucial to understand the factors that determine the targets' adsorption behavior in mixtures for triggering intended interactions and selectivity. Here we use a model system containing three molecules, each of them a common representative of the more abundant types of macromolecules in living systems: sodium oleate (SO), a fatty acid; bovine serum albumin (BSA), a protein; and dextran, a polysaccharide. Our results show that (a) the BSA adsorption capacity on the iron oxide material depends markedly on the pH, with the maximum capacity at the pI of the protein (0.39 g g_MNP^-1 ); (b) sodium oleate, a strongly negatively charged molecule, an organic anion, renders a maximum adsorption capacity of 0.40 g g_MNP^-1, even at pHs at which oleate as well as the nanoparticle surface are negatively charged; (c) the adsorbed masses of dextran, a neutral sugar, are lower than for the other two molecules, between 0.09 and 0.13 g g_MNP^-1, regardless of the system's pH. We observe an unexpected behavior in mixtures: SO completely prevents the adsorption of BSA, and dextran decreases the adsorption of the other competitors, SO and BSA, while adsorbing at the same capacities, unaffected by either the presence of the other two molecules or the pH. BSA does not decrease the oleate adsorption capacity. We demonstrate the essential role of pH in the adsorption of BSA (a protein) and SO (a fatty acid), as well as its impact in the structural organization of the oleate molecules in water. Moreover, we present exciting data on the adsorption of the molecules in competition, revealing the need to focus on interaction studies in more complex environments. This study attempts to open the scope of the current research of bio-nano interactions to not only proteins but also to mixtures, and generally to molecules with other physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, we contribute to the understanding of multicomponent systems with the vision set in enhancing biomass exploitation and biofractionation processes.

Auxin supplementation under nitrogen limitation enhanced oleic acid and MUFA content in Eustigmatos calaminaris biomass with potential for biodiesel production

Due to their lipid accumulation potential, microalgae are widely studied in terms of their use in the production of biodiesel. The present study was focused on determination of changes in the biomass production, biochemical composition, accumulation and distribution of fatty acids in neutral lipids, glycolipids, phospholipids and biodiesel properties of soil microalga Eustigmatos calaminaris in response to various levels of nitrogen stress and indole-3-acetic acid supplementation. The highest growth rate, the highest lipid content and daily lipid productivity were noted at the nitrogen limitation up to 25% with IAA supplementation. The increase in NL was associated with nutrient stress. An increase in the level of GL and PL were recorded upon the reduction of the nitrogen content (25% N) and the addition of IAA. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that C16:0, C16:1, and C18:1 were the main fatty acids in E. calaminaris lipids. As shown by the lipidomic analysis, the IAA supplementation in the nitrogen limitation variants enhanced the content of TAGs in C18:1 and monounsaturated fatty acids. The current findings indicated a potential strategy to improve the fatty acid profile in neutral lipids and high potential of E. calaminaris for biodiesel applications.

Comprehensive sequence and structure analysis of algal lipid catabolic enzyme Triacylglycerol lipase: an in silico study to vitalize the development of optimum engineered strains with high lipid productivity

Microalgae as an alternative renewable resource for biofuel production have captured much significance. Nonetheless, its economic viability is a field of major concern for researchers. Unraveling the lipid catabolic pathway and gaining insights into the sequence-structural features of its primary functioning enzyme, Triacylglycerol lipase, will impart valuable information to target microalgae for augmented lipid content. In the present study, a genome-wide comparative study on putative Triacylglycerol lipase (TAGL) enzyme from algal species belonging to varied phylogenetic lineages was performed. The comprehensive sequence analysis revealed that TAGL comprises of three distinct conserved domains, such as, Patatin, Class III Lipase, and Abhydro_lipase, and also confirmed the ubiquitous presence of GXSXG motif in the sequences analyzed. In the absence of a crystal structure of algal TAGL till date, we developed the first 3D model of patatin domain of TAGL from an oleaginous microalga, Phaedactylum tricornutum, employing homology modeling, docking and molecular dynamic simulations methods. The domain-substrate complex having the low-ranking docking score revealed the binding of palmitic acid to the TAGL patatin domain surface with strong hydrogen bond interactions. The simulation results implied that the substrate-complexed patatin domain and the free enzyme adopted a more stable conformation after 40 ns. This is the first ever attempt to provide in-silico insights into the structural and dynamical insights on catalytic mechanism of the TAGL patatin domain. Subsequently, these findings aided our understanding on their structural stability, folding mechanism and protein-substrate interactions, which could be further utilized to design site-specific mutagenic experiments for engineering microalgal strains.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Bright as day and dark as night: light-dependant energy for lipid biosynthesis and production in microalgae

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms functioning as the green bio-factories for various pharmaceutical and biofuel products. To date, numerous attempts have been carried out to manipulate culture conditions to maximize the production of the desired metabolites. Because light is the energy source of microalgae for their growth and metabolites biosynthesis, it has been one of the most investigated variables emphasized on the deep understanding of how microalgae respond towards light changes as an external stimulus. This review discusses the effects of different light sources, light intensities, light wavelengths and length of photoperiod on various microalgae species, especially in terms of biomass and lipid productivity. Additionally, the relationship between photoregulation processes and lipid productivity of microalgae are also deliberated. The current available approaches of microalgae mass cultivation, including different types of open and closed systems are recapitulated with the intention to highlight the significant insights for the design of future photoreactors.

Bioprospecting of microalgae metabolites against cytokine storm syndrome during COVID-19

In viral respiratory infections, disrupted pathophysiological outcomes have been attributed to hyper-activated and unresolved inflammation responses of the immune system. Integration between available drugs and natural therapeutics have reported benefits in relieving inflammation-related physiological outcomes and microalgae may be a feasible source from which to draw from against future coronavirus-infections. Microalgae represent a large and diverse source of chemically functional compounds such as carotenoids and lipids that possess various bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore in this paper, some implicated pathways causing inflammation in viral respiratory infections are discussed and juxtaposed along with available research done on several microalgal metabolites. Additionally, the therapeutic properties of some known anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulating compounds sourced from microalgae are reported for added clarity.

Salt induced oxidative stress alters physiological, biochemical and metabolomic responses of green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Salinity is one of the most significant environmental factors limiting microalgal biomass productivity. In the present study, the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) was exposed to 200 mM NaCl for eight days to explore the physiological, biochemical and metabolomic changes. C. reinhradtii exhibited a significant decrease in growth rate, and Chl a and Chl b levels. 200 mM NaCl induced ROS generation in C. reinhardtii with increase in H2O2 content. This caused lipid peroxidation with increase in MDA levels. C. reinhardtii also exhibited an increase in carbohydrate and lipid accumulation under 200 mM NaCl conditions as storage molecules in cells to maintain microalgal survival. In addition, NaCl stress increased the content of carotenoids, polyphenols and osmoprotectant molecules such as proline. SOD and APX activities decreased, while ROS-scavenger enzymes (POD and CAT) decreased. Metabolomic response showed an accumulation of the major molecules implicated in membrane remodelling and stress resistance such oleic acid (40.29%), linolenic acid (19.29%), alkanes, alkenes and phytosterols. The present study indicates the physiological, biochemical and metabolomic responses of C. reinhardtii to salt stress.

Transcriptomics de novo sequencing data of Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 under exponential and stationary growth stages

Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 is a non-model microalga exhibiting superior oil-accumulating abilities. However, biomass production in M. gracile SE-MC4 is limited due to low cell proliferation especially after prolonged cultivation under oil-inducing culture conditions. Present data consist of next generation RNA sequencing data of M. gracile SE-MC4 under exponential and stationary growth stages. RNA of six samples were extracted and sequenced with insert size of 100 bp paired-end strategy using BGISEQ-500 platform to produce a total of 59.64 Gb data with 314 million reads. Sequences were filtered and de novo assembled to form 53,307 number of gene sequences. Sequencing data were deposited in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and can be accessed via BioProject ID PRJNA552165. This information can be used to enhance biomass production in M. gracile SE-MC4 and other microalgae aimed towards improving biodiesel development.

Transcriptome-wide study in the green microalga Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 identifies prominent roles of photosynthetic integral membrane protein genes during exponential growth stage

The non-model microalga Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 is a potential species for biodiesel production. However, low biomass productivity hinders it from passing the life cycle assessment for biodiesel production. Therefore, the current study was aimed at uncovering the differences in the transcriptome profiles of the microalgae at early exponential and early stationary growth phases and dissecting the roles of specific differential expressed genes (DEGs) involved in cell division during M. gracile cultivation. The transcriptome analysis revealed that the photosynthetic integral membrane protein genes such as photosynthetic antenna protein were severely down-regulated during the stationary growth phase. In addition, the signaling pathways involving transcription, glyoxylate metabolism and carbon metabolism were also down-regulated during stationary growth phase. Current findings suggested that the coordination between photosynthetic integral membrane protein genes, signaling through transcription and carbon metabolism classified as prominent strategies during exponential growth stage. These findings can be applied in genetic improvement of M. gracile for biodiesel application.

Fatty Acid Profile of Microalgal Oils as a Criterion for Selection of the Best Feedstock for Biodiesel Production

Microalgae are considered to be potentially attractive feedstocks for biodiesel production, mainly due to their fast growth rate and high oil content accumulated in their cells. In this study, the suitability for biofuel production was tested for Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella fusca, Oocystis submarina, and Monoraphidium strain. The effect of nutrient limitation on microalgae biomass growth, lipid accumulation, ash content, fatty acid profile, and selected physico-chemical parameters of algal biodiesel were analysed. The study was carried out in vertical tubular photobioreactors of 100 L capacity. The highest biomass content at 100% medium dose was found for Monoraphidium 525 ± 29 mg·L−1. A 50% reduction of nutrients in the culture medium decreased the biomass content by 23% for O. submarina, 19% for Monoraphidium, 13% for C. vulgaris and 9% for C. fusca strain. Nutrient limitation increased lipid production and reduced ash content in microalgal cells. The highest values were observed for Oocystis submarina, with a 90% increase in lipids and a 45% decrease in ash content in the biomass under stress conditions. The fatty acid profile of particular microalgae strains was dominated by palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and linoleic acids. Nutrient stress increased the amount of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids affecting the quality of biodiesel, but this was determined by the type of strain.