Project description:Chromochloris zofingiensis, featured by the capability of simultaneously synthesizing triacylglycerol (TAG) and astaxanthin, is emerging as a leading candidate alga for production uses. In order to better understand the oleaginous mechanism of this alga, we conducted a multi-omics analysis by systematically integrating the time-resolved transcriptomes, lipidomes, and metabolomes in response to nitrogen deprivation. The data analysis unraveled the distinct mechanism of TAG accumulation, which involved the coordinated stimulation of multiple biological processes including supply of energy and reductants, carbon reallocation from protein and starch, ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ carbon to TAG synthesis. Unlike in the model alga Chlamydomonas, the de novo fatty acid synthesis in C. zofingiensis was promoted, together with the enhanced turnover of both glycolipids and phospholipids, supporting the drastic need of acyls for TAG assembly. Moreover, genome-wide analysis identified many key functional enzymes and transcription factors with engineering potential for TAG modulation. Two genes encoding glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), the first committed enzyme for TAG assembly, were found in the genome of C. zofingiensis; in vivo functional characterization revealed that the extrachloroplastic GPAT instead of the chloroplastic one plays a central role in TAG synthesis. These findings illuminate distinct mechanism of oleaginousness of C. zofingiensis and pave a way toward rational manipulation of this alga as an emerging model for trait improvements.
Project description:The alga Chromochloris zofingiensis was grown under 14 different conditions in an attempt to identify all protein coding genes and compare their expression profiles.
Project description:Chromochloris zofingiensis has been considered as potential feedstock for biodiesel production with advantages such as high biomass productivity and great oil content. TAG (triacylglycerol) and astaxanthin accumulate in a well-coordinated manner in response to different stresses in C. zofingiensis. The integrated production of lipids with co-products emerges as a new research direction and is proposed to be a promising approach toward offsetting the algal biodiesel production cost. Therefore, it is suggested C. zofingiensis can serve as research models for the integrated production. Salinity stress simultaneously induced TAG and astaxanthin accumulation in C. zofingiensis. To understand the mechanism underlying TAG and astaxanthin accumulation induced by salinity stress, we applied high-throughput mRNA-sequencing in C. zofingiensis.