title: Metabolic switching: synergistic induction of carotenogenesis in the aerial microalga, Vischeria helvetica, under environmental stress conditions by inhibitors of fatty acid biosynthesis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the roles of fatty acid biosynthesis in carotenogenesis in the high-lipid accumulating aerial microalga Vischeria helvetica KGU-Y001, we cultured algal cells with fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Under nitrogen-deficient, high-light (200 µmol photons m(-2) s(-1)) conditions, the alga accumulated 6.2 mg carotenoids g(-1) dry weight cells (DWC) after 1 week of culture. The total fatty acid content increased gradually, and reached 290 mg g(-1) DWC after 9 weeks. When algal cells were cultured with a fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitor (molinate) under nitrogen-deficient, high-light conditions for 1 week, carotenoid accumulation was synergistically increased to 2.4 times that in algal cells cultured without the inhibitor in nitrogen-deficient, low-light conditions (40 µmol photons m(-2) s(-1)). The synergistic induction of carotenogenesis was suppressed by an inhibitor of c-jun N-terminal kinase, a mitogen-activated protein kinase-like protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a commercial context, carotenoid production could be increased by using fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitors to redirect metabolic flux to carotenoid biosynthesis instead of fatty acid synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aburai
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D001381:Azepines / Q000378:metabolism; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008027:Light; D058009:Stramenopiles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013859:Thiocarbamates / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001381:Azepines; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005227:Fatty Acids; D013859:Thiocarbamates; D002338:Carotenoids; C009821:molinate