Generation of random mutants to improve light-use efficiency of Nannochloropsis gaditana cultures for biofuel production
File(s)Perin et al. 2015.pdf (1.56 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
The productivity of an algal culture depends on how efficiently it converts sunlight into biomass and lipids. Wild-type algae in their natural environment evolved to compete for light energy and maximize individual cell growth; however, in a photobioreactor, global productivity should be maximized. Improving light use efficiency is one of the primary aims of algae biotechnological research, and genetic engineering can play a major role in attaining this goal.
Results
In this work, we generated a collection of Nannochloropsis gaditana mutant strains and screened them for alterations in the photosynthetic apparatus. The selected mutant strains exhibited diverse phenotypes, some of which are potentially beneficial under the specific artificial conditions of a photobioreactor. Particular attention was given to strains showing reduced cellular pigment contents, and further characterization revealed that some of the selected strains exhibited improved photosynthetic activity; in at least one case, this trait corresponded to improved biomass productivity in lab-scale cultures.
Conclusions
This work demonstrates that genetic modification of N. gaditana has the potential to generate strains with improved biomass productivity when cultivated under the artificial conditions of a photobioreactor.
The productivity of an algal culture depends on how efficiently it converts sunlight into biomass and lipids. Wild-type algae in their natural environment evolved to compete for light energy and maximize individual cell growth; however, in a photobioreactor, global productivity should be maximized. Improving light use efficiency is one of the primary aims of algae biotechnological research, and genetic engineering can play a major role in attaining this goal.
Results
In this work, we generated a collection of Nannochloropsis gaditana mutant strains and screened them for alterations in the photosynthetic apparatus. The selected mutant strains exhibited diverse phenotypes, some of which are potentially beneficial under the specific artificial conditions of a photobioreactor. Particular attention was given to strains showing reduced cellular pigment contents, and further characterization revealed that some of the selected strains exhibited improved photosynthetic activity; in at least one case, this trait corresponded to improved biomass productivity in lab-scale cultures.
Conclusions
This work demonstrates that genetic modification of N. gaditana has the potential to generate strains with improved biomass productivity when cultivated under the artificial conditions of a photobioreactor.
Date Issued
2015-09-25
Date Acceptance
2015-09-09
Citation
Biotechnology for Biofuels, 2015, 8 (1)
ISSN
1754-6834
Publisher
BioMed Central
Journal / Book Title
Biotechnology for Biofuels
Volume
8
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Perin et
al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
(
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (
http://creativecommons.org/
publicdomain/zero/1.0/
) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
(
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (
http://creativecommons.org/
publicdomain/zero/1.0/
) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Subjects
0904 Chemical Engineering
1003 Industrial Biotechnology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2015-09-25