title: Green genes: bioinformatics and systems-biology innovations drive algal biotechnology.
abstract: Many species of microalgae produce hydrocarbons, polysaccharides, and other valuable products in significant amounts. However, large-scale production of algal products is not yet competitive against non-renewable alternatives from fossil fuel. Metabolic engineering approaches will help to improve productivity, but the exact metabolic pathways and the identities of the majority of the genes involved remain unknown. Recent advances in bioinformatics and systems-biology modeling coupled with increasing numbers of algal genome-sequencing projects are providing the means to address this. A multidisciplinary integration of methods will provide synergy for a systems-level understanding of microalgae, and thereby accelerate the improvement of industrially valuable strains. In this review we highlight recent advances and challenges to microalgal research and discuss future potential.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, Building number 316, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maarten J M F
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reijnders
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, Building number 316, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ruben G A
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: van Heck
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, Building number 316, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands; LifeGlimmer GmbH, Markelstrasse 38, 12163 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Carolyn M C
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Scaife
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, Building number 316, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands; LifeGlimmer GmbH, Markelstrasse 38, 12163 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Vitor A P Martins
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK.
authors.forename: Alison G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, Building number 316, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: peter.schaap@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schaap
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D060847:Metabolic Engineering / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D058086:Microalgae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels