<i>Thorsmoerkia curvula</i> gen. et spec. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), a semi-terrestrial microalga from Iceland exhibits high levels of unsaturated fatty acids.

ABSTRACT: A terrestrial green alga was isolated at Iceland, and the strain (SAG 2627) was described for its morphology and phylogenetic position and tested for biotechnological capabilities. Cells had a distinctly curved, crescent shape with conical poles and a single parietal chloroplast. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S rDNA and rbcL markers placed the strain into the Trebouxiophyceae (Chlorophyta). The alga turned out to belong to an independent lineage without an obvious sister group within the Trebouxiophyceae. Based on morphological and phylogenetic data, the strain was described as a new genus and species, Thorsmoerkia curvula gen. et sp. nov. Biomass was generated in column reactors and subsequently screened for promising metabolites. Growth was optimized by pH-regulated, episodic

SUBMITTER: Nicoletti C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7612509 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature