Improvement of Neutral Lipid and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Biosynthesis by Overexpressing a Type 2 Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase in Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Microalgae have been emerging as an important source for the production of bioactive compounds. Marine diatoms can store high amounts of lipid and grow quite quickly. However, the genetic and biochemical characteristics of fatty acid biosynthesis in diatoms remain unclear. Glycerophospholipids are integral as structural and functional components of cellular membranes, as well as precursors of various lipid mediators. In addition, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the last step of triacylglyceride (TAG) biosynthesis. However, a comprehensive sequence-structure and functional analysis of DGAT in diatoms is lacking. In this study, an isoform of diacylglycerol acyltransferase type 2 of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum was characterized. Surprisingly, DGAT2 overexpression in P. tricornutum stimulated more oil bodies, and the neutral lipid content increased by 35%. The fatty acid composition showed a significant increase in the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids; in particular, EPA was increased by 76.2%. Moreover, the growth rate of transgenic microalgae remained similar, thereby maintaining a high biomass. Our results suggest that increased DGAT2 expression could alter fatty acid profile in the diatom, and the results thus represent a valuable strategy for polyunsaturated fatty acid production by genetic manipulation.     

Photo-Oxidative Stress-Driven Mutagenesis and Adaptive Evolution on the Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum for Enhanced Carotenoid Accumulation

Marine diatoms have recently gained much attention as they are expected to be a promising resource for sustainable production of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and biofuels as a future clean energy solution. To develop photosynthetic cell factories, it is important to improve diatoms for value-added products. In this study, we utilized UVC radiation to induce mutations in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and screened strains with enhanced accumulation of neutral lipids and carotenoids. Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was also used in parallel to develop altered phenotypic and biological functions in P. tricornutum and it was reported for the first time that ALE was successfully applied on diatoms for the enhancement of growth performance and productivity of value-added carotenoids to date. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was utilized to study the composition of major pigments in the wild type P. tricornutum, UV mutants and ALE strains. UVC radiated strains exhibited higher accumulation of fucoxanthin as well as neutral lipids compared to their wild type counterpart. In addition to UV mutagenesis, P. tricornutum strains developed by ALE also yielded enhanced biomass production and fucoxanthin accumulation under combined red and blue light. In short, both UV mutagenesis and ALE appeared as an effective approach to developing desired phenotypes in the marine diatoms via electromagnetic radiation-induced oxidative stress.     

Heterotrophic Production of Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids by Trophically Converted Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

We have created via metabolic engineering a heterotrophic strain of Phaeodactylum tricornutum that accumulates enhanced levels of the high value omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This was achieved by generation of transgenic strains in which the Δ5-elongase from Ostreococcus tauri was co-expressed with a glucose transporter from the moss Physcomitrella patens. This double transformant has the capacity to grow in the dark in liquid medium supplemented with glucose and accumulate substantial levels of omega-3 LC-PUFAs. The effects of glucose concentrations on growth and LC-PUFA production of wild type and transformed strains cultivated in the light and dark were studied. The highest omega-3 LC-PUFAs accumulation was observed in cultures grown under mixotrophic conditions in the presence of 1% glucose (up to 32.2% of total fatty acids, TFA). Both DHA and EPA are detected at high levels in the neutral lipids of transgenic cells grown under phototrophic conditions, averaging 36.5% and 23.6% of TFA, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential for P. tricornutum to be developed as a viable commercial strain for both EPA and DHA production under mixo- and heterotrophic conditions.     

Inventory of Fatty Acid Desaturases in the Pennate Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

The diatom Phaeodactylum is rich in very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Fatty acid (FA) synthesis, elongation, and desaturation have been studied in depth in plants including Arabidopsis, but for secondary endosymbionts the full picture remains unclear. FAs are synthesized up to a chain length of 18 carbons inside chloroplasts, where they can be incorporated into glycerolipids. They are also exported to the ER for phospho- and betaine lipid syntheses. Elongation of FAs up to 22 carbons occurs in the ER. PUFAs can be reimported into plastids to serve as precursors for glycerolipids. In both organelles, FA desaturases are present, introducing double bonds between carbon atoms and giving rise to a variety of molecular species. In addition to the four desaturases characterized in Phaeodactylum (FAD2, FAD6, PtD5, PtD6), we identified eight putative desaturase genes. Combining subcellular localization predictions and comparisons with desaturases from other organisms like Arabidopsis, we propose a scheme at the whole cell level, including features that are likely specific to secondary endosymbionts.     

Electrochromic Properties and Electrochemical Behavior of Marennine,a Bioactive Blue-Green Pigment Produced by the Marine Diatom Haslea ostrearia

Marennine has long been known as the unique peculiar pigment responsible for the natural greening of oysters. It is specifically produced by the marine diatom Haslea ostrearia and it is a natural blue molecule indeed promising for food industry because of the rarity of such non-toxic, blue-colored pigments. In the search for its still not defined molecular structure, investigation of the color changes with the redox state has been carried out combining different approaches. Reducing and oxidizing chemicals have been added to purified marennine solutions and a stable blue-green color has been confirmed for the oxidized state, while a yellow color corresponded to the reduced unstable state. Raman spectroscopy has been used to monitor changes in the Raman spectra corresponding to the different colored states, and cyclic voltammetry has allowed the detection of a redox system in which protons and electrons are exchanged. These findings show that marennine is a suitable stable blue pigment for use in food applications and help in the elucidation of the chromophore structure.     

Comparative Study Highlights the Potential of Spectral Deconvolution for Fucoxanthin Screening in Live Phaeodactylum tricornutum Cultures

Microalgal biotechnology shows considerable promise as a sustainable contributor to a broad range of industrial avenues. The field is however limited by processing methods that have commonly hindered the progress of high throughput screening, and consequently development of improved microalgal strains. We tested various microplate reader and flow cytometer methods for monitoring the commercially relevant pigment fucoxanthin in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Based on accuracy and flexibility, we chose one described previously to adapt to live culture samples using a microplate reader and achieved a high correlation to HPLC (R² = 0.849), effectively removing the need for solvent extraction. This was achieved by using new absorbance spectra inputs, reducing the detectable pigment library and changing pathlength values for the spectral deconvolution method in microplate reader format. Adaptation to 384-well microplates and removal of the need to equalize cultures by density further increased the screening rate. This work is of primary interest to projects requiring detection of biological pigments, and could theoretically be extended to other organisms and pigments of interest, improving the viability of microalgae biotechnology as a contributor to sustainable industry.     

Oleosome-Associated Protein of the Oleaginous Diatom Fistulifera solaris Contains an Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeting Signal Sequence

Microalgae tend to accumulate lipids as an energy storage material in the specific organelle, oleosomes. Current studies have demonstrated that lipids derived from microalgal oleosomes are a promising source of biofuels, while the oleosome formation mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Oleosome-associated proteins have been identified from several microalgae to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of oleosome formation, although understanding their functions is still in infancy. Recently, we discovered a diatom-oleosome-associated-protein 1 (DOAP1) from the oleaginous diatom, Fistulifera solaris JPCC DA0580. The DOAP1 sequence implied that this protein might be transported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to the signal sequence. To ensure this, we fused the signal sequence to green fluorescence protein. The fusion protein distributed around the chloroplast as like a meshwork membrane structure, indicating the ER localization. This result suggests that DOAP1 could firstly localize at the ER, then move to the oleosomes. This study also demonstrated that the DOAP1 signal sequence allowed recombinant proteins to be specifically expressed in the ER of the oleaginous diatom. It would be a useful technique for engineering the lipid synthesis pathways existing in the ER, and finally controlling the biofuel quality.     

Recent Advances in the Heterologous Expression of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters for Marine Natural Products

Marine natural products (MNPs) are an important source of biologically active metabolites, particularly for therapeutic agent development after terrestrial plants and nonmarine microorganisms. Sequencing technologies have revealed that the number of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in marine microorganisms and the marine environment is much higher than expected. Unfortunately, the majority of them are silent or only weakly expressed under traditional laboratory culture conditions. Furthermore, the large proportion of marine microorganisms are either uncultivable or cannot be genetically manipulated. Efficient heterologous expression systems can activate cryptic BGCs and increase target compound yield, allowing researchers to explore more unknown MNPs. When developing heterologous expression of MNPs, it is critical to consider heterologous host selection as well as genetic manipulations for BGCs. In this review, we summarize current progress on the heterologous expression of MNPs as a reference for future research.     

Profiling of Polar Lipids in Marine Oleaginous Diatom Fistulifera solaris JPCC DA0580: Prediction of the Potential Mechanism for Eicosapentaenoic Acid-Incorporation into Triacylglycerol

The marine oleaginous diatom Fistulifera solaris JPCC DA0580 is a candidate for biodiesel production because of its high lipid productivity. However, the substantial eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content in this strain would affect the biodiesel quality. On the other hand, EPA is also known as the essential health supplement for humans. EPAs are mainly incorporated into glycerolipids in the microalgal cell instead of the presence as free fatty acids. Therefore, the understanding of the EPA biosynthesis including the incorporation of the EPA into glycerolipids especially triacylglycerol (TAG) is fundamental for regulating EPA content for different purposes. In this study, in order to identify the biosynthesis pathway for the EPA-containing TAG species, a lipidomic characterization of the EPA-enriched polar lipids was performed by using direct infusion electrospray ionization (ESI)-Q-TRAP-MS and MS/MS analyses. The determination of the fatty acid positional distribution showed that the sn-2 position of all the chloroplast lipids and part of phosphatidylcholine (PC) species was occupied by C16 fatty acids. This result suggested the critical role of the chloroplast on the lipid synthesis in F. solaris. Furthermore, the exclusive presence of C18 fatty acids in PC highly indicated the biosynthesis of EPA on PC. Finally, the PC-based acyl-editing and head group exchange processes were proposed to be essential for the incorporation of EPA into TAG and chloroplast lipids.     

小麦淀粉合成关键酶基因和相关蛋白表达对不同施磷量的响应

为深入研究磷素在小麦淀粉产量和品质形成过程中的作用,以新疆冬小麦主栽品种新冬20号为试验材料,研究0 kg·hm^-2（CK）、105 kg·hm^-2（LP）和210 kg·hm^-2（HP）3种施磷（P₂O₅）量对小麦籽粒灌浆特性、淀粉合成关键酶(AGPase和GBSS)活性和基因表达、胚乳可溶性蛋白和淀粉粒结合蛋白含量及谱带特征、胚乳微观特性等的影响。结果表明,籽粒灌浆后期磷肥对粒重的促进作用逐渐增强;低磷（LP）条件下, agp1、 agp2、 gbss1、 gbss2基因表达量显著提高;3个处理下AGPase活性的变化趋势基本一致;籽粒灌浆中期（14～21 d）,低磷处理的GBSS活性显著高于CK;不同磷处理对淀粉粒结合蛋白和胚乳可溶性蛋白含量的影响显著,但对蛋白谱带特征的影响较弱。扫描电镜结果显示,不同磷处理的胚乳淀粉粒形态未发生明显变化;与CK和高磷（HP）处理相比,低磷处理下籽粒胚乳横断面蛋白基质较少,淀粉粒与蛋白质结合较疏松。说明常规施磷（低磷）条件下,淀粉合成关键酶基因（agp和gbss）相对表达量提高或酶活性变化可影响籽粒淀粉合成及胚乳中蛋白与淀粉粒的嵌合度,并最终造成粒重的增加和淀粉特性的变化。     

Biosynthesis of Akaeolide and Lorneic Acids and Annotation of Type I Polyketide Synthase Gene Clusters in the Genome of Streptomyces sp. NPS554

The incorporation pattern of biosynthetic precursors into two structurally unique polyketides, akaeolide and lorneic acid A, was elucidated by feeding experiments with ¹³C-labeled precursors. In addition, the draft genome sequence of the producer, Streptomyces sp. NPS554, was performed and the biosynthetic gene clusters for these polyketides were identified. The putative gene clusters contain all the polyketide synthase (PKS) domains necessary for assembly of the carbon skeletons. Combined with the ¹³C-labeling results, gene function prediction enabled us to propose biosynthetic pathways involving unusual carbon-carbon bond formation reactions. Genome analysis also indicated the presence of at least ten orphan type I PKS gene clusters that might be responsible for the production of new polyketides.     

茶树咖啡碱合成酶基因mRNA表达的研究

采用原位杂交技术对茶树咖啡碱合成酶基因mRNA的表达进行了研究。结果表明,茶树叶片的表达主要在栅栏组织,该组织的细胞质、细胞核上均有表达,而液泡却没有;叶主脉表达分布在薄壁组织、韧皮部,但韧皮部表达稍弱;幼茎表达分布在韧皮部;不同品种之间的表达位置基本相似、表达信号却有差异。结果还显示,春梢第一片叶比秋梢第一片叶表达信号强;加工技术上绿茶摊青过程0.5 h、1 h、2 h有明显表达信号,而红茶萎凋6 h、8 h、10 h及乌龙茶摇青过程6 h、8 h、10 h的叶子则看不到。     

Adding Zooplankton to the OSMAC Toolkit: Effect of Grazing Stress on the Metabolic Profile and Bioactivity of a Diatom

“One strain many compounds” (OSMAC) based approaches have been widely used in the search for bioactive compounds. Introducing stress factors like nutrient limitation, UV-light or cocultivation with competing organisms has successfully been used in prokaryote cultivation. It is known that diatom physiology is affected by changed cultivation conditions such as temperature, nutrient concentration and light conditions. Cocultivation, though, is less explored. Hence, we wanted to investigate whether grazing pressure can affect the metabolome of the marine diatom Porosira glacialis, and if the stress reaction could be detected as changes in bioactivity. P. glacialis cultures were mass cultivated in large volume bioreactor (6000 L), first as a monoculture and then as a coculture with live zooplankton. Extracts of the diatom biomass were screened in a selection of bioactivity assays: inhibition of biofilm formation, antibacterial and cell viability assay on human cells. Bioactivity was found in all bioassays performed. The viability assay towards normal lung fibroblasts revealed that P. glacialis had higher bioactivity when cocultivated with zooplankton than in monoculture. Cocultivation with diatoms had no noticeable effect on the activity against biofilm formation or bacterial growth. The metabolic profiles were analyzed showing the differences in diatom metabolomes between the two culture conditions. The experiment demonstrates that grazing stress affects the biochemistry of P. glacialis and thus represents a potential tool in the OSMAC toolkit.     

环烷基磺酰胺类化合物对拟轮枝镰孢菌抑制作用及伏马菌素生物合成基因表达的影响

采用菌丝生长速率法,以噁霉灵原药为对照药剂,从62种环烷基磺酰胺类化合物中筛选出436、MSQ8和WML-1等3种对拟轮枝镰孢菌菌丝生长有明显抑制作用的化合物,其EC_(50)分别为11.42μg/mL、20.85μg/mL和33.76μg/mL,高于或接近于对照药剂噁霉灵的EC_(50)(20.77μg/mL)。对拟轮枝镰孢菌分生孢子萌发抑制进行试验,结果表明,化合物WML-1、MSQ8和436的EC_(50)分别为165.25μg/mL、185.12μg/mL和274.46μg/mL,均低于对照药剂噁霉灵的EC_(50)(65.81μg/mL)。qRT-PCR结果表明,3种药剂处理后对伏马菌素的生物合成基因表达无明显影响。     

三角梅甜菜色素代谢酶4,5-DOPA-dioxygenase基因的分离和表达

甜菜色素在自然界中与花青素排斥分布,主要在石竹目（Caryophyllales）的9个科的植物中合成。虽然甜菜色素的生物合成已经有很多猜测,酶催化的生物合成关键步骤仍然缺少足够的实验数据支持。本研究首先从三角梅属的3个种（B. spectabilis‘Splendens’,B. buttiana‘Mahara’,B. pruviana‘Thimma’）的苞片中分离了甜菜色素合成途径末端的关键酶4,5-DOPA-dioxygenase完整的cDNA,大小分别为902、899、899 bp,分别编码298、297、297个氨基酸,并对这3个同源基因与已经报道的来自B.　glabra的该基因进行比较。推测的分子量分别为33 758、33 076、33 233 u,等电点（pI）分别是5.62、5.54和5.94。对分属于4个种（B.spectabilis‘Splendens’,B. buttiana‘Mahara’,B. glabra‘Alba’,B. pruviana‘Thimma’）花的4,5-DOPA-dioxygenase的Real-time分析结果表明,该基因在4个种的花中,种间变化较大,总体趋势是开花早期该基因的表达较弱,盛花期表达迅速增强,后期又呈现下降。其中,在红色的B.buttiana‘Mahara’中,该基因的表达最强,在白色的B.glabra‘Alba’中表达最弱。这些结果表明,该基因的表达与花的颜色鲜艳程度直接相关。     

籼稻矮化多分蘖突变体gsor23的基因克隆与表达分析

 矮化多分蘖突变体gsor23是籼稻品种Indica9经γ射线辐射后获得的。遗传分析表明其矮化多分蘖表型受一个隐性基因控制,并将突变基因定位在第1染色体长臂上InDel标记C1 WT2与C1 WT4之间。这两个标记之间物理距离为386 kb,其间包含一个抑制植物分枝的基因D10。对gsor23中的D10基因测序发现编码区第404位的碱基C缺失,导致从第135位氨基酸开始移码突变。gsor23的突变位点与已报道的粳稻背景的d10 1和d10 2突变体不一样,是D10基因一个新的等位突变体。D10编码的类胡萝卜素裂解双加氧酶8 (carotenoid cleaving dioxygenase, CCD8),是抑制分枝的新型植物激素独脚金内酯(strigolactones, SLs)合成途径中的关键酶之一。用SLs人工合成类似物GR24处理gsor23,其多分蘖表型受到抑制。实时 RT PCR结果显示D10在水稻根部表达量较高,叶片较低。在突变体gsor23中,参与 SLs合成的基因D10上调表达,而可能参与SLs信号转导的基因D3和D14表达下调。     

氮素对甘蔗脯氨酸合成积累及其关键基因的效应分析

探究2种水分条件下,氮素对甘蔗脯氨酸合成积累的效应,为甘蔗生产中氮素的施用提供理论参考。以粤糖55为材料,采用桶栽试验,在2种水分条件下,测定4个氮素水平间的脯氨酸含量、叶绿素含量、P5CS与δ-OAT活性及其基因表达,以及有效茎数、茎径、株高、蔗茎产量、锤度的表现值。结果表明:随施氮水平的提高,干旱胁迫下,叶绿素、脯氨酸的含量及δ-OAT、P5CS基因表达量逐渐提高,δ-OAT、P5CS活性先增后降;正常水分下,叶绿素含量不断增加,脯氨酸含量、P5CS活性、δ-OAT活性不断下降。有效茎数、株高、蔗茎产量等性状随着氮素水平的增加而增加,而茎径、糖锤度则是先增后降。通过分析结果认为,在过磷酸钙(P肥)、氯化钾(K肥)施用量分别固定为1 800、750 kg/hm~2时,砖红壤土尿素(N肥)施用量在456~918 kg/hm~2范围内最佳,甘蔗抗逆性不断增强,产量不断增加,糖分高但呈下降趋势。     

Precursor-Directed Biosynthesis Mediated Amplification of Minor Aza Phenylpropanoid Piperazines in an Australian Marine Fish-Gut-Derived Fungus,Chrysosporium sp. CMB-F214

Chemical analysis of an M1 agar plate cultivation of a marine fish-gut-derived fungus, Chrysosporium sp. CMB-F214, revealed the known chrysosporazines A–D (11–14) in addition to a suite of very minor aza analogues 1–6. A microbioreactor (MATRIX) cultivation profiling analysis failed to deliver cultivation conditions that significantly improved the yields of 1–6; however, it did reveal that M2 agar cultivation produced the new natural product 15. A precursor-directed biosynthesis strategy adopting supplementation of a CMB-F214 M1 solid agar culture with sodium nicotinate enhanced production of otherwise inaccessible azachrysposorazines A1 (1), A2 (2), B1 (3), C1 (4), C2 (5) and D1 (6), in addition to four new chrysosporazines; chrysosporazines N–P (7–9) and spirochrysosporazine A (10). Structures inclusive of absolute configurations were assigned to 1–15 based on detailed spectroscopic and chemical analyses, and biosynthetic considerations. Non-cytotoxic to human carcinoma cells, azachrysosporazies 1–5 were capable of reversing doxorubicin resistance in P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-overexpressing human colon carcinoma cells (SW620 Ad300), with optimum activity exhibited by the C-2′ substituted analogues 3–5.