Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Abstract Background Astaxanthin is a highly valuable ketocarotenoid with strong antioxidative activity and is natively accumulated upon environmental stress exposure in selected microorganisms. Green microalgae are photosynthetic, unicellular organisms cultivated in artificial systems to produce bio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-022-02173-3 |
| _version_ | 1811293832603500544 |
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| author | Stefano Cazzaniga Federico Perozeni Thomas Baier Matteo Ballottari |
| author_facet | Stefano Cazzaniga Federico Perozeni Thomas Baier Matteo Ballottari |
| author_sort | Stefano Cazzaniga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Astaxanthin is a highly valuable ketocarotenoid with strong antioxidative activity and is natively accumulated upon environmental stress exposure in selected microorganisms. Green microalgae are photosynthetic, unicellular organisms cultivated in artificial systems to produce biomass and industrially relevant bioproducts. While light is required for photosynthesis, fueling carbon fixation processes, application of high irradiance causes photoinhibition and limits biomass productivity. Results Here, we demonstrate that engineered astaxanthin accumulation in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii conferred high light tolerance, reduced photoinhibition and improved biomass productivity at high irradiances, likely due to strong antioxidant properties of constitutively accumulating astaxanthin. In competitive co-cultivation experiments, astaxanthin-rich Chlamydomonas reinhardtii outcompeted its corresponding parental background strain and even the fast-growing green alga Chlorella vulgaris. Conclusions Metabolic engineering inducing astaxanthin and ketocarotenoids accumulation caused improved high light tolerance and increased biomass productivity in the model species for microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Thus, engineering microalgal pigment composition represents a powerful strategy to improve biomass productivities in customized photobioreactors setups. Moreover, engineered astaxanthin accumulation in selected strains could be proposed as a novel strategy to outperform growth of other competing microalgal strains. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:07:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9402379116ed41c483014d51bb6721ca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2731-3654 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:07:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts |
| spelling | doaj.art-9402379116ed41c483014d51bb6721ca2022-12-22T03:01:08ZengBMCBiotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts2731-36542022-07-0115111710.1186/s13068-022-02173-3Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtiiStefano Cazzaniga0Federico Perozeni1Thomas Baier2Matteo Ballottari3Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaDepartment of Biotechnology, University of VeronaFaculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld UniversityDepartment of Biotechnology, University of VeronaAbstract Background Astaxanthin is a highly valuable ketocarotenoid with strong antioxidative activity and is natively accumulated upon environmental stress exposure in selected microorganisms. Green microalgae are photosynthetic, unicellular organisms cultivated in artificial systems to produce biomass and industrially relevant bioproducts. While light is required for photosynthesis, fueling carbon fixation processes, application of high irradiance causes photoinhibition and limits biomass productivity. Results Here, we demonstrate that engineered astaxanthin accumulation in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii conferred high light tolerance, reduced photoinhibition and improved biomass productivity at high irradiances, likely due to strong antioxidant properties of constitutively accumulating astaxanthin. In competitive co-cultivation experiments, astaxanthin-rich Chlamydomonas reinhardtii outcompeted its corresponding parental background strain and even the fast-growing green alga Chlorella vulgaris. Conclusions Metabolic engineering inducing astaxanthin and ketocarotenoids accumulation caused improved high light tolerance and increased biomass productivity in the model species for microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Thus, engineering microalgal pigment composition represents a powerful strategy to improve biomass productivities in customized photobioreactors setups. Moreover, engineered astaxanthin accumulation in selected strains could be proposed as a novel strategy to outperform growth of other competing microalgal strains.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-022-02173-3MicroalgaeAstaxanthinHigh light stressMetabolic engineeringCarotenoidsPhotosynthesis |
| spellingShingle | Stefano Cazzaniga Federico Perozeni Thomas Baier Matteo Ballottari Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts Microalgae Astaxanthin High light stress Metabolic engineering Carotenoids Photosynthesis |
| title | Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii |
| title_full | Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii |
| title_fullStr | Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii |
| title_full_unstemmed | Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii |
| title_short | Engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii |
| title_sort | engineering astaxanthin accumulation reduces photoinhibition and increases biomass productivity under high light in chlamydomonas reinhardtii |
| topic | Microalgae Astaxanthin High light stress Metabolic engineering Carotenoids Photosynthesis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-022-02173-3 |
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