Abstract
Microalgae are competitive and commercial sources for health-benefit carotenoids. In this study, a Chromochloris zofingiensis mutant (Cz-pkg), which does not shut off its photosystem and stays green upon glucose treatment, was generated and characterized. Cz-pkg was developed by treating the algal cells with a chemical mutagen as N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and followed by a color-based colony screening approach. Cz-pkg was found to contain a dysfunctional cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). By cultivated with CO2 aeration under mixotrophy, the mutant accumulated lutein up to 31.93 ± 1.91 mg L−1 with a productivity of 10.57 ± 0.73 mg L−1 day−1, which were about 2.5- and 8.5-fold of its mother strain. Besides, the lutein content of Cz-pkg could reach 7.73 ± 0.52 mg g−1 of dry weight, which is much higher than that of marigold flower, the most common commercial source of lutein. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that in the mutant Cz-pkg, most of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of lutein and chlorophylls were not down-regulated upon glucose addition, suggesting that PKG may regulate the metabolisms of photosynthetic pigments. This study demonstrated that Cz-pkg could serve as a promising strain for both lutein production and glucose sensing study.
Highlights
Lutein is a natural carotenoid that has drawn great interest for its health-promoting functions, such as scavenging free radicals, preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and beneficial for skin health [1,2]
This study demonstrated that Cz-pkg could serve as a promising strain for both lutein production and glucose sensing study
We developed and characterized a novel mutant strain of C. zofingiensis that did not shut off its photosynthetic system under mixotrophic cultivation, and could maintain high photosynthetic activity, cell growth and accumulated much higher amounts of pigments including lutein under various culture conditions
Summary
Lutein is a natural carotenoid that has drawn great interest for its health-promoting functions, such as scavenging free radicals, preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and beneficial for skin health [1,2]. Commercial lutein mostly derives from marigold petals, while harvesting only in specific seasons coupled with time-consuming petal collection hinders the large-scale production [3]. Though lutein is common in vegetables, its daily dietary uptake is still insufficient for all populations. Searching for better lutein sources as nutritional supplement is of significance. Microalgae are potent sources of carotenoids that served as either primary carotenoids for photosynthesis or secondary ones in response to adverse conditions [4]. Serving as an essential photosynthesis pigment, the production of lutein in microalgae is related to photosynthetic activity. Microalgae have higher photosynthetic efficiency and growth rates [4].
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