title: Stress-induced neutral lipid biosynthesis in microalgae - Molecular, cellular and physiological insights.
abstract: Photosynthetic microalgae have promise as biofuel feedstock. Under certain conditions, they produce substantial amounts of neutral lipids, mainly in the form of triacylglycerols (TAGs), which can be converted to fuels. Much of our current knowledge on the genetic and molecular basis of algal neutral lipid metabolism derives mainly from studies of plants, i.e. seed tissues, and to a lesser extent from direct studies of algal lipid metabolism. Thus, the knowledge of TAG synthesis and the cellular trafficking of TAG precursors in algal cells is to a large extent based on genome predictions, and most aspects of TAG metabolism have yet to be experimentally verified. The biofuel prospects of microalgae have raised the interest in mechanistic studies of algal TAG biosynthesis in recent years and resulted in an increasing number of publications on lipid metabolism in microalgae. In this review we summarize the current findings on genetic, molecular and physiological studies of TAG accumulation in microalgae. Special emphasis is on the functional analysis of key genes involved in TAG synthesis, molecular mechanisms of regulation of TAG biosynthesis, as well as on possible mechanisms of lipid droplet formation in microalgal cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant Lipid Biology edited by Kent D. Chapman and Ivo Feussner.
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University-US Department of Energy-Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Plant Biochemistry, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg-August-University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zienkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University-US Department of Energy-Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Zhi-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University-US Department of Energy-Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biochemistry, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg-August-University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vollheyde
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University-US Department of Energy-Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: benning@cns.msu.edu.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benning
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018745:Genome, Plant; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000235:genetics*; D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D058086:Microalgae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: Diacylglycerol:acyltransferase (DGAT); Lipid; Lipid droplet (LD); Microalgae; Phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT); Triacylglycerol (TAG)