title: Identification of a malonyl CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase and its regulatory role in fatty acid biosynthesis in oleaginous microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica.
abstract: Oleaginous microalgae hold great promises for biofuel production. However, commercialization of microalgal biofuels remains impracticable due to the lack of suitable industrial strains with high growth rate and lipid productivity. Engineering of metabolic pathways is a potential strategy for the improvement of microalgal strains for the production of lipids and also value-added products in microalgae. Malonyl CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase (MCAT) has been reported to be involved in fatty acid biosynthesis. Here, we identified a putative MCAT in the oleaginous marine microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica. NoMCAT overexpressing N. oceanica showed a higher growth rate and photosynthetic efficiency. The neutral lipid content of engineered lines showed a significant increase by up to 31% compared to wild type. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that NoMCAT overexpression significantly altered the fatty acid composition. The composition of eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5), which is a polyunsaturated fatty acid necessary for animal nutrition, increased by 8%. These results demonstrate the role of MCAT in enhancing fatty acid biosynthesis and growth in microalgae, and also provide an insight into metabolic engineering of microalgae with high industrial potential.
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jia-Wen
authors: JW
authors: Chen
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Wan-Jun
authors: WJ
authors: Liu
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Dong-Xiong
authors: DX
authors: Hu
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Srinivasan
authors: S
authors: Balamurugan
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Adili
authors: A
authors: Alimujiang
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Wei-Dong
authors: WD
authors: Yang
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jie-Sheng
authors: JS
authors: Liu
authors: Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors: Hong-Ye
authors: HY
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D051080:Acyl-Carrier Protein S-Malonyltransferase / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D056804:Biofuels; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D058086:Microalgae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058009:Stramenopiles / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005227:Fatty Acids; D051080:Acyl-Carrier Protein S-Malonyltransferase
keywords: Nannochloropsis; biofuels; fatty acid biosynthesis; lipid metabolism; metabolic engineering