Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i>
Microalgae have long been used for the commercial production of natural colorants such as carotenoids and chlorophyll. Due to the rising demand for carotenoids and other natural products from microalgae, strategies to increase production efficiency are urgently needed. The production of microalgal b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/6/564 |
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| author | Supakorn Potijun Chonlada Yaisamlee Anchalee Sirikhachornkit |
| author_facet | Supakorn Potijun Chonlada Yaisamlee Anchalee Sirikhachornkit |
| author_sort | Supakorn Potijun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microalgae have long been used for the commercial production of natural colorants such as carotenoids and chlorophyll. Due to the rising demand for carotenoids and other natural products from microalgae, strategies to increase production efficiency are urgently needed. The production of microalgal biorefineries has been limited to countries with moderate climates. For countries with cooler climates and less daylight, methodologies for the efficient production of microalgal biorefineries need to be investigated. Algal strains that can be safely consumed as whole cells are also attractive alternatives for developing as carotenoid supplements, which can also contain other compounds with health benefits. Using such strains helps to eliminate the need for hazardous solvents for extraction and several other complicated steps. In this study, the mesophilic green alga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> was employed to study the effects of cold stress on cell physiology and the production of pigments and storage compounds. The results showed that temperatures between 10 and 20 °C induced carotenoid and chlorophyll accumulation in the wild-type strain of <i>C. reinhardtii</i>. Interestingly, the increased level of carotenoids suggested that they might play a crucial role in cold stress acclimation. A temperature of 15 °C resulted in the highest carotenoid and chlorophyll productivity. At this temperature, carotenoid and chlorophyll productivity was 2 times and 1.3 times higher than at 25 °C, respectively. Subjecting a mutant defective in lutein and zeaxanthin accumulation to cold stress revealed that these two carotenoids are not essential for cold stress survival. Therefore, cold temperature could be used as a strategy to induce and increase the productivity of pigments in <i>C. reinhardtii</i>. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:14:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0bf96eb914a14475872055d55808dc76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:14:17Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-0bf96eb914a14475872055d55808dc762023-11-22T00:55:15ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-06-0111656410.3390/agriculture11060564Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i>Supakorn Potijun0Chonlada Yaisamlee1Anchalee Sirikhachornkit2Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, ThailandDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, ThailandDepartment of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, ThailandMicroalgae have long been used for the commercial production of natural colorants such as carotenoids and chlorophyll. Due to the rising demand for carotenoids and other natural products from microalgae, strategies to increase production efficiency are urgently needed. The production of microalgal biorefineries has been limited to countries with moderate climates. For countries with cooler climates and less daylight, methodologies for the efficient production of microalgal biorefineries need to be investigated. Algal strains that can be safely consumed as whole cells are also attractive alternatives for developing as carotenoid supplements, which can also contain other compounds with health benefits. Using such strains helps to eliminate the need for hazardous solvents for extraction and several other complicated steps. In this study, the mesophilic green alga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> was employed to study the effects of cold stress on cell physiology and the production of pigments and storage compounds. The results showed that temperatures between 10 and 20 °C induced carotenoid and chlorophyll accumulation in the wild-type strain of <i>C. reinhardtii</i>. Interestingly, the increased level of carotenoids suggested that they might play a crucial role in cold stress acclimation. A temperature of 15 °C resulted in the highest carotenoid and chlorophyll productivity. At this temperature, carotenoid and chlorophyll productivity was 2 times and 1.3 times higher than at 25 °C, respectively. Subjecting a mutant defective in lutein and zeaxanthin accumulation to cold stress revealed that these two carotenoids are not essential for cold stress survival. Therefore, cold temperature could be used as a strategy to induce and increase the productivity of pigments in <i>C. reinhardtii</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/6/564cold acclimationcarotenoidchlorophyll<i>Chlamydomonas</i>functional foods |
| spellingShingle | Supakorn Potijun Chonlada Yaisamlee Anchalee Sirikhachornkit Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> Agriculture cold acclimation carotenoid chlorophyll <i>Chlamydomonas</i> functional foods |
| title | Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> |
| title_full | Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> |
| title_fullStr | Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> |
| title_short | Pigment Production under Cold Stress in the Green Microalga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> |
| title_sort | pigment production under cold stress in the green microalga i chlamydomonas reinhardtii i |
| topic | cold acclimation carotenoid chlorophyll <i>Chlamydomonas</i> functional foods |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/6/564 |
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