Phenotypic and genetic characterization of Dunaliella (Chlorophyta) from Indian salinas and their diversity

The Time-Resolved Salt Stress Response of Dunaliella tertiolecta-A Comprehensive System Biology Perspective

Algae-driven processes, such as direct CO2 fixation into glycerol, provide new routes for sustainable chemical production in synergy with greenhouse gas mitigation. The marine microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta is reported to accumulate high amounts of intracellular glycerol upon exposure to high salt concentrations. We have conducted a comprehensive, time-resolved systems biology study to decipher the metabolic response of D. tertiolecta up to 24 h under continuous light conditions. Initially, due to a lack of reference sequences required for MS/MS-based protein identification, a high-quality draft genome of D. tertiolecta was generated. Subsequently, a database was designed by combining the genome with transcriptome data obtained before and after salt stress. This database allowed for detection of differentially expressed proteins and identification of phosphorylated proteins, which are involved in the short- and long-term adaptation to salt stress, respectively. Specifically, in the rapid salt adaptation response, proteins linked to the Ca2+ signaling pathway and ion channel proteins were significantly increased. While phosphorylation is key in maintaining ion homeostasis during the rapid adaptation to salt stress, phosphofructokinase is required for long-term adaption. Lacking β-carotene, synthesis under salt stress conditions might be substituted by the redox-sensitive protein CP12. Furthermore, salt stress induces upregulation of Calvin-Benson cycle-related proteins.

Biological active metabolites from microalgae for healthcare and pharmaceutical industries: A comprehensive review

Microalgae are photoautotrophic microorganisms which comprise of species from several phyla. Microalgae are promising in producing a varieties of products, including food, feed supplements, chemicals, and biofuels. Medicinal supplements derived from microalgae are of a significant market in which compounds such as -carotene, astaxanthin, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and polysaccharides such as -glucan, are prominent. Microalgae species which are commonly applied for commercial productions include Isochrysis sp., Chaetoceros (Chlorella sp.), Arthrospira sp. (Spirulina Bioactive) and many more. In this present review, microalgae species which are feasible in metabolites production are being summarized. Metabolites produced by microalgae as well as their prospective applications in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, are comprehensively discussed. This evaluation is greatly assisting industrial stakeholders, investors, and researchers in making business decisions, investing in ventures, and moving the production of microalgae-based metabolites forward.

A dual compartment cuvette system for correcting scattering in whole-cell absorbance spectroscopy of photosynthetic microorganisms

Absorption spectroscopy is widely used to determine absorption and transmission spectra of chromophores in solution, in addition to suspensions of particles, including micro-organisms. Light scattering, caused by photons deflected from part or all of the cells or other particles in suspension, results in distortions to the absorption spectra, lost information and poor resolution. A spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere may be used to alleviate this problem. However, these instruments are not universally available in biology laboratories, for reasons such as cost. Here, we describe a novel, rapid, and inexpensive technique that minimises the effect of light scattering when performing whole-cell spectroscopy. This method involves using a custom made dual compartment cuvette containing titanium dioxide in one chamber as a scattering agent. Measurements were conducted of a range of different photosynthetic micro-organisms of varying cell size and morphology, including cyanobacteria, eukaryotic microalgae and a purple non-sulphur bacterium. A concentration of 1 mg ml^-1 titanium dioxide, using a spectrophotometer with a slit width of 5 nm, produced spectra for cyanobacteria and microalgae similar (1-4% difference) to those obtained using an integrating sphere. The spectrum > 520 nm was similar to that with an integrating sphere with the purple non-sulphur bacterium. This system produced superior results to those obtained using a recently reported method, the application of the diffusing agent, Scotch™ Magic tape, to the side of the cuvette. The protocol can be completed in an equivalent period of time to standard whole-cell absorbance spectroscopy techniques, and is, in principle, suitable for any dual-beam spectrophotometer.

Relationship between β-Carotene Accumulation and Geranylgeranyl Pyrophosphate Synthase in Different Species of Dunaliella

To study the relationship between β-carotene synthesis and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (GGPS) activity, 15 species of Dunaliella were used to determine the changes in photosynthetic pigment contents, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, β-carotene content, and GGPS activity. By observing the morphology and size of 15 species of Dunaliella, D8 has the largest individual algal cell and D9 has the smallest individual. Growth was relatively slow during days one through seven. After about eight days, the cells entered the logarithmic growth period and grew rapidly to a high density. After about 45 days, they entered a mature period, and growth slowed down. The contents of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and β-carotene increased during growth. D1 has the highest accumulation of β-carotene, and GGPS enzyme activity has a positive linear relationship with the β-carotene synthesis content. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the GGPS proteins of the 15 species were highly homologous, and the GGPS protein was not part of the membrane.

Productivity and morphometric parameters of the microalga Dunaliella salina IBSS-2 under pilot cultivation in continental mid-latitude climate in spring

In this study, we aimed to investigate the taxonomy and various characteristics of Dunaliella salina IBSS-2 strain and describe its cultivation potential in mid-latitude climate during springtime. In addition, our analysis confirmed the essentiality of combining morphological, physiological, and other characteristics when identifying new species and strains of the genus Dunaliella, along with the molecular marker (internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of rDNA gene). The pilot cultivation of microalgae during the springtime in the south of Russia demonstrated that the climatic conditions of this region allow D. salina cultivation for biomass accumulation during this season, highlighting light and temperature conditions as the main factors determining the growth rate of D. salina. A two-fold increase in daily insolation and, consequently, in temperature in April resulted in a more than three-fold increase in productivity of D. salina culture. The maximum productivity of D. salina both in April and May was comparable and reached 2 g m^-2 day^-1, and the total yield for 8-10 days was about 14.5-16 g m^-2. The additional CO₂ supply into the D. salina culture did not show any significant effect on its growth rate; however, it contributed to maintaining the diversity of morphometric characteristics over a longer period of time. Changes in the morphological and morphometric characteristics of algal cells, including size reduction, were observed during the batch cultivation. Thus, the production potential of the green carotenogenic microalga D. salina was determined in the springtime, which allows expanding the seasonal interval of its cultivation in temperate latitudes.

Omics for Bioprospecting and Drug Discovery from Bacteria and Microalgae

"Omics" represent a combinatorial approach to high-throughput analysis of biological entities for various purposes. It broadly encompasses genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics. Bacteria and microalgae exhibit a wide range of genetic, biochemical and concomitantly, physiological variations owing to their exposure to biotic and abiotic dynamics in their ecosystem conditions. Consequently, optimal conditions for adequate growth and production of useful bacterial or microalgal metabolites are critically unpredictable. Traditional methods employ microbe isolation and 'blind'-culture optimization with numerous chemical analyses making the bioprospecting process laborious, strenuous, and costly. Advances in the next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have offered a platform for the pan-genomic analysis of microbes from community and strain downstream to the gene level. Changing conditions in nature or laboratory accompany epigenetic modulation, variation in gene expression, and subsequent biochemical profiles defining an organism's inherent metabolic repertoire. Proteome and metabolome analysis could further our understanding of the molecular and biochemical attributes of the microbes under research. This review provides an overview of recent studies that have employed omics as a robust, broad-spectrum approach for screening bacteria and microalgae to exploit their potential as sources of drug leads by focusing on their genomes, secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathway genes, transcriptomes, and metabolomes. We also highlight how recent studies have combined molecular biology with analytical chemistry methods, which further underscore the need for advances in bioinformatics and chemoinformatics as vital instruments in the discovery of novel bacterial and microalgal strains as well as new drug leads.

The Effect of High-Intensity Ultraviolet Light to Elicit Microalgal Cell Lysis and Enhance Lipid Extraction

Currently, the energy required to produce biofuel from algae is 1.38 times the energy available from the fuel. Current methods do not deliver scalable, commercially viable cell wall disruption, which creates a bottleneck on downstream processing. This is primarily due to the methods depositing energy within the water as opposed to within the algae. This study investigates ultraviolet B (UVB) as a disruption method for the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Dunaliella salina and Micractinium inermum to enhance solvent lipid extraction. After 232 seconds of UVB exposure at 1.5 W/cm², cultures of C. reinhardtii (culture density 0.7 mg/mL) showed 90% disruption, measured using cell counting, correlating to an energy consumption of 5.6 MJ/L algae. Small-scale laboratory tests on C. reinhardtii showed bead beating achieving 45.3 mg/L fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and UV irradiation achieving 79.9 mg/L (lipids solvent extracted and converted to FAME for measurement). The alga M. inermum required a larger dosage of UVB due to its thicker cell wall, achieving a FAME yield of 226 mg/L, compared with 208 mg/L for bead beating. This indicates that UV disruption had a higher efficiency when used for solvent lipid extraction. This study serves as a proof of concept for UV irradiation as a method for algal cell disruption.

The Carotenogenic Dunaliella salina CCAP 19/20 Produces Enhanced Levels of Carotenoid under Specific Nutrients Limitation

Dunaliella salina is the popular microalga for β-carotene production. There is still a growing demand for the best strain identification and growth conditions optimization for maximum carotenoids production. Some strains are noncarotenogenic while other strains may respond differently to applied growth conditions and produce enhanced carotenoid levels. This study tested the carotenogenic ability of Dunaliella salina CCAP 19/20 under sixteen stress conditions and certain biochemical changes in response to specific stress were investigated. This study identified the above strain as carotenogenic, which produces maximum carotenoids under high light (240 μmol photons m⁻² sec⁻¹) when combined nitrogen and micronutrients (Cu or CuMn) were limited. Based on the intensity of extracted ions chromatograms, lutein (m/z 568.4357) appears as the major carotenoid followed by β-carotene (m/z 536.4446) and α-carotene (m/z 536.4435). A polypeptide of 28.3 kDa appeared while another polypeptide of 25.5 kDa disappeared in stress cells as compared to noncarotenogenic cells. Expression levels of antioxidative-enzyme superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1, H₂O₂-resistant) remained identical, while the prominent H₂O₂-sensitive isoforms SOD2 and SOD3 were downregulated during carotenogenic conditions. Overall, increased carotenoids levels might be due to the response of differential expression of specific polypeptides and retention of H₂O₂-resistant SOD, which eventually might help the organism to thrive in the tested stress conditions.

Salinity-Induced Palmella Formation Mechanism in Halotolerant Algae Dunaliella salina Revealed by Quantitative Proteomics and Phosphoproteomics

Palmella stage is critical for some unicellular algae to survive in extreme environments. The halotolerant algae Dunaliella salina is a good single-cell model for studying plant adaptation to high salinity. To investigate the molecular adaptation mechanism in salinity shock-induced palmella formation, we performed a comprehensive physiological, proteomics and phosphoproteomics study upon palmella formation of D. salina using dimethyl labeling and Ti⁴⁺-immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) proteomic approaches. We found that 151 salinity-responsive proteins and 35 salinity-responsive phosphoproteins were involved in multiple signaling and metabolic pathways upon palmella formation. Taken together with photosynthetic parameters and enzyme activity analyses, the patterns of protein accumulation and phosphorylation level exhibited the mechanisms upon palmella formation, including dynamics of cytoskeleton and cell membrane curvature, accumulation and transport of exopolysaccharides, photosynthesis and energy supplying (i.e., photosystem II stability and activity, cyclic electron transport, and C4 pathway), nuclear/chloroplastic gene expression regulation and protein processing, reactive oxygen species homeostasis, and salt signaling transduction. The salinity-responsive protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks implied that signaling and protein synthesis and fate are crucial for modulation of these processes. Importantly, the 3D structure of phosphoprotein clearly indicated that the phosphorylation sites of eight proteins were localized in the region of function domain.

Enhanced thermal destruction of toxic microalgal biomass by using CO2

This work confirmed that dominant microalgal strain in the eutrophic site (the Han River in Korea) was Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) secreting toxins. Collected and dried microalgal biomass had an offensive odor due to microalgal lipid, of which the content reached up to 2±0.2wt.% of microalgal biomass (dry basis). This study has validated that the offensive odor is attributed to the C3-6 range of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which was experimentally identified by the non-catalytic transformation of triglycerides (TGs) and free fatty acids (FFAs) in microalgal biomass into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). In particular, this study mechanistically investigated the influence of CO2 in the thermal destruction (i.e., pyrolysis) of hazardous microalgal biomass in order to achieve dual purposes (i.e., thermal disposal of hazardous microalgal biomass and energy recovery). The influence of CO2 in pyrolysis of microalgal biomass was identified as 1) the enhanced thermal cracking behaviors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the thermal degradation of microalgal biomass and 2) the direct gas phase reaction between CO2 and VOCs. These identified influences of CO2 in pyrolysis of microalgal biomass significantly enhanced the generation of CO: the enhanced generation of CO in the presence of CO2 was 590% at 660°C, 1260% at 690°C, and 3200% at 720°C. In addition, two identified influences of CO2 (i.e., enhanced thermal cracking and direct gas phase reaction) occurred simultaneously and independently. The identified gas phase reaction in the presence of CO2 was only initiated at temperatures higher than 500°C, which was different from the Boudouard reaction. Lastly, the experimental work justified that exploiting CO2 as a reaction medium and/or chemical feedstock will provide new technical approaches for controlling syngas ratio and in-situ air pollutant control without using catalysts.

Biologically Active Metabolites Synthesized by Microalgae

Microalgae are microorganisms that have different morphological, physiological, and genetic traits that confer the ability to produce different biologically active metabolites. Microalgal biotechnology has become a subject of study for various fields, due to the varied bioproducts that can be obtained from these microorganisms. When microalgal cultivation processes are better understood, microalgae can become an environmentally friendly and economically viable source of compounds of interest, because production can be optimized in a controlled culture. The bioactive compounds derived from microalgae have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities, among others. Furthermore, these microorganisms have the ability to promote health and reduce the risk of the development of degenerative diseases. In this context, the aim of this review is to discuss bioactive metabolites produced by microalgae for possible applications in the life sciences.

Community solar salt production in Goa, India

Traditional salt farming in Goa, India has been practised for the past 1,500 years by a few communities. Goa's riverine estuaries, easy access to sea water and favourable climatic conditions makes salt production attractive during summer. Salt produced through this natural evaporation process also played an important role in the economy of Goa even during the Portuguese rule as salt was the chief export commodity. In the past there were 36 villages involved in salt production, which is now reduced to 9. Low income, lack of skilled labour, competition from industrially produced salt, losses incurred on the yearly damage of embankments are the major reasons responsible for the reduction in the number of salt pans.Salt pans (Mithagar or Mithache agor) form a part of the reclaimed waterlogged khazan lands, which are also utilised for aquaculture, pisciculture and agriculture. Salt pans in Goa experience three phases namely, the ceased phase during monsoon period of June to October, preparatory phase from December to January, and salt harvesting phase, from February to June. After the monsoons, the salt pans are prepared manually for salt production. During high tide, an influx of sea water occurs, which enters the reservoir pans through sluice gates. The sea water after 1-2 days on attaining a salinity of approximately 5ºBé, is released into the evaporator pans and kept till it attains a salinity of 23 - 25ºBé. The brine is then released to crystallizer pans, where the salt crystallises out 25 - 27ºBé and is then harvested.Salt pans form a unique ecosystem where succession of different organisms with varying environmental conditions occurs. Organisms ranging from bacteria, archaea to fungi, algae, etc., are known to colonise salt pans and may influence the quality of salt produced.The aim of this review is to describe salt farming in Goa's history, importance of salt production as a community activity, traditional method of salt production and the biota associated with salt pans.