Accumulation of medium chain fatty acids in Nannochloropsis oceanica by heterologous expression of Cuphea palustris thioesterase FatB1

Christian Sudfeld; Aamna Kiyani; Hortense Buckens; Michal Hubacek; Rene H. Wijffels; Maria J. Barbosa; Sarah D'Adamo

doi:10.1016/j.algal.2022.102665

Back

Accumulation of medium chain fatty acids in Nannochloropsis oceanica by heterologous expression of Cuphea palustris thioesterase FatB1

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Accumulation of medium chain fatty acids in Nannochloropsis oceanica by heterologous expression of Cuphea palustris thioesterase FatB1

Christian Sudfeld, Aamna Kiyani, Hortense Buckens, Michal Hubacek, Rene H. Wijffels, Maria J. Barbosa and Sarah D'Adamo

Algal research (Amsterdam), Vol.64, p.102665

05/01/2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2022.102665

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2022.102665View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are compounds of considerable commercial interest that have applications in food, feed, and the production of industrially relevant chemicals. Due to their antipathogenic and health promoting effects, they are further discussed as potential therapeutic agents for disease treatment and infection prevention and control. Domesticated agricultural crops that can grow in temperate climates lack MCFAs, and increased cultivation of tropical MCFA-rich species such as oil palm is associated with deforestation and a decrease in biodiversity. Alternative sources for more sustainably produced MCFAs are non-domesticated plants such as Cuphea spp., as well as oil crops and oleaginous microalgae that can be genetically engineered to accumulate MCFAs by expression of acyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterases (TEs) from MCFA-producing plants. Here, we report the heterologous expression of a TE from Cuphea palustris in the industrially relevant microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica. Using a recently developed gene expression system, we engineered transformant strains that accumulated up to 2.84 and 4.15% of C8:0 and C10:0 in storage lipids, respectively, and we observed no effect on growth. We further show that MCFA accumulation was negatively correlated with total neutral lipid content, suggesting the presence of regulatory mechanisms that limit MCFA accumulation in Nannochloropsis.

Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Accumulation of medium chain fatty acids in Nannochloropsis oceanica by heterologous expression of Cuphea palustris thioesterase FatB1
Creators: Christian Sudfeld - Wageningen University & Research
Aamna Kiyani - Wageningen University & Research
Hortense Buckens - Wageningen University & Research
Michal Hubacek - Wageningen University & Research
Rene H. Wijffels - Nord University
Maria J. Barbosa - Wageningen Univ, Bioproc Engn, POB 16, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands
Sarah D'Adamo - Wageningen University & Research
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Algal research (Amsterdam), Vol.64, p.102665
DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2022.102665
ISSN: 2211-9264
eISSN: 2211-9264
Publisher: Elsevier
Number of pages: 12
Grant note: 737.016.007 / Dutch Research Council (NWO) Building Blocks of Life programme
Language: English
Date published: 05/01/2022
Academic Unit: International Programs; Spanish and Portuguese
Record Identifier: 9984397919802771

Metrics

67 Record Views

6 Times Cited - Web of Science