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Triacylglycerol accumulation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum with different supply of inorganic carbon

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Abstract

The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum produces large quantities of lipids, especially triacylglycerols (TAGs) under nitrogen or phosphorus limitation. In this study, production of lipids and TAGs during this process was compared under conditions with different inputs of inorganic carbon. With an abundant supply of inorganic carbon, considerable accumulation of biomass, lipids, and TAGs was identified after a nitrogen/phosphorus-limiting “induction incubation.” TAGs were still synthesized and accumulated even under inorganic carbon limitation with a cessation in the production of biomass and cellular lipids. This part of accumulated TAGs could be synthesized through recycling and transformation of other lipids such as glycolipids and phospholipids. Additionally, some alterations in the fatty acid profile following TAG accumulation were found. The content of the C16:0 fatty acid increased with decreases in C16:3 and C20:5, which could have been caused by enzymatic selectivity for these fatty acids during the process of TAG synthesis. It was concluded that nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism regulates the synthesis of TAG, while carbon metabolism promotes it by providing sufficient substrates.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30900040) and Key Technology R&D Program of Shandong Province, China (No. 2008GG20007002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, China

    Xiaowei Peng, Shuo Liu, Wei Zhang, Yonggang Zhao, Lin Chen, Hui Wang & Tianzhong Liu

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  1. Xiaowei Peng
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  2. Shuo Liu
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  3. Wei Zhang
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  4. Yonggang Zhao
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  5. Lin Chen
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  6. Hui Wang
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  7. Tianzhong Liu
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Correspondence to Wei Zhang.

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Peng, X., Liu, S., Zhang, W. et al. Triacylglycerol accumulation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum with different supply of inorganic carbon. J Appl Phycol 26, 131–139 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-0075-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-0075-7

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