Enhanced Lipid Production via Expression of AtWRI1 Transcription Factor in Microalgae
October 25, 2017https://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-017-0919-5
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Genetic engineering of microalgae is necessary to produce economically important strains for biofuel production. Transcription factors (TFs) are emerging as good alternatives for engineering of microalgae, to increase production of biomaterials as well as to enhance stress tolerance.
The team of Nam Kyu Kang from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology investigated the Wrinkled1 TF in Arabidopsis (AtWRI1), by expressing it in the industrial microalgae, Nannochloropsis salina designated as NsAtWRI1. The Wrinkled1 TF gene is a known regulator of lipid biosynthesis in plants.
Results revealed that the total lipid contents and the fatty acid methyl ester yields (FAME) were greater in NsAtWRI1 transformants than in wild types under both normal and stress conditions. Further analysis indicated that the AtWRI1 transcription factor upregulated genes involved in lipid synthesis in N. salina, resulting in enhanced lipid production in the NsAtWRI1 transformants from early growth phase.
These suggest that expression of AtWRI1 TF can be used for efficient biofuel production in industrial microalgae.
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