Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production

Cyanobacterial lipid droplets (LDs) are packed with hydrophobic energy-dense compounds and have great potential for biotechnological expression and the compartmentalization of high value compounds. Nostoc punctiforme normally accumulates LDs containing neutral lipids, and small amounts of heptadecan...

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Main Authors: Anantha Peramuna, Ray Morton, Michael L. Summers
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2015-03-01
Series:Life
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/5/2/1111
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author Anantha Peramuna
Ray Morton
Michael L. Summers
author_facet Anantha Peramuna
Ray Morton
Michael L. Summers
author_sort Anantha Peramuna
collection DOAJ
description Cyanobacterial lipid droplets (LDs) are packed with hydrophobic energy-dense compounds and have great potential for biotechnological expression and the compartmentalization of high value compounds. Nostoc punctiforme normally accumulates LDs containing neutral lipids, and small amounts of heptadecane, during the stationary phase of growth. In this study, we further enhanced heptadecane production in N. punctiforme by introducing extrachromosomal copies of aar/adc genes, and report the discovery of a putative novel lipase encoded by Npun_F5141, which further enhanced alkane production. Extra copies of all three genes in high light conditions resulted in a 16-fold higher accumulation of heptadecane compared to the wild type strain in the exponential phase. LD accumulation during exponential phase also increased massively to accommodate the heptadecane production. A large number of small, less fluorescent LDs were observed at the cell periphery in exponential growth phase, whereas fewer number of highly fluorescent, much larger LDs were localized towards the center of the cell in the stationary phase. These advances demonstrate that cyanobacterial LDs are an ideal model platform to make industrially relevant compounds, such as alkanes, during exponential growth, and provide insight into LD formation in cyanobacteria.
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spelling doaj.art-ac9c5c1cf37841bea0107c1211b3b3da2022-12-22T04:22:18ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292015-03-01521111112610.3390/life5021111life5021111Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound ProductionAnantha Peramuna0Ray Morton1Michael L. Summers2Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8303, USADepartment of Biology, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8303, USADepartment of Biology, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8303, USACyanobacterial lipid droplets (LDs) are packed with hydrophobic energy-dense compounds and have great potential for biotechnological expression and the compartmentalization of high value compounds. Nostoc punctiforme normally accumulates LDs containing neutral lipids, and small amounts of heptadecane, during the stationary phase of growth. In this study, we further enhanced heptadecane production in N. punctiforme by introducing extrachromosomal copies of aar/adc genes, and report the discovery of a putative novel lipase encoded by Npun_F5141, which further enhanced alkane production. Extra copies of all three genes in high light conditions resulted in a 16-fold higher accumulation of heptadecane compared to the wild type strain in the exponential phase. LD accumulation during exponential phase also increased massively to accommodate the heptadecane production. A large number of small, less fluorescent LDs were observed at the cell periphery in exponential growth phase, whereas fewer number of highly fluorescent, much larger LDs were localized towards the center of the cell in the stationary phase. These advances demonstrate that cyanobacterial LDs are an ideal model platform to make industrially relevant compounds, such as alkanes, during exponential growth, and provide insight into LD formation in cyanobacteria.http://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/5/2/1111alkanecyanobacterialipid dropletacyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (Aar)aldehyde decarbonylase (Adc)
spellingShingle Anantha Peramuna
Ray Morton
Michael L. Summers
Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production
Life
alkane
cyanobacteria
lipid droplet
acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (Aar)
aldehyde decarbonylase (Adc)
title Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production
title_full Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production
title_fullStr Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production
title_short Enhancing Alkane Production in Cyanobacterial Lipid Droplets: A Model Platform for Industrially Relevant Compound Production
title_sort enhancing alkane production in cyanobacterial lipid droplets a model platform for industrially relevant compound production
topic alkane
cyanobacteria
lipid droplet
acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (Aar)
aldehyde decarbonylase (Adc)
url http://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/5/2/1111
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AT raymorton enhancingalkaneproductionincyanobacteriallipiddropletsamodelplatformforindustriallyrelevantcompoundproduction
AT michaellsummers enhancingalkaneproductionincyanobacteriallipiddropletsamodelplatformforindustriallyrelevantcompoundproduction