Crossing and selection of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains for biotechnological glycolate production

Abstract

As an alternative to chemical building blocks derived from algal biomass, the excretion of glycolate has been proposed. This process has been observed in green algae such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a product of the photorespiratory pathway. Photorespiration generally occurs at low CO2 and high O2 concentrations, through the key enzyme RubisCO initiating the pathway via oxygenation of 1.5-ribulose-bisphosphate. In wild-type strains, photorespiration is usually suppressed in favour of carboxylation due to the cellular carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) controlling the internal CO2 concentration. Additionally, newly produced glycolate is directly metabolized in the C2 cycle. Therefore, both the CCMs and the C2 cycle are the key elements which limit the glycolate production in wild-type cells. Using conventional crossing techniques, we have developed Chlamydomonas reinhardtii double mutants deficient in these two key pathways to direct carbon flux to glycolate excretion. Under aeration with ambient air, the double mutant D6 showed a significant and stable glycolate production when compared to the non-producing wild type. Interestingly, this mutant can act as a carbon sink by fixing atmospheric CO2 into glycolate without requiring any additional CO2 supply. Thus, the double-mutant strain D6 can be used as a photocatalyst to produce chemical building blocks and as a future platform for algal-based biotechnology.Key Points• Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cia5 gyd double mutants were developed by sexual crossing• The double mutation eliminates the need for an inhibitor in glycolate production• The strain D6 produces significant amounts of glycolate with ambient air only