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Nannochloropsis is rapidly emerging as a model organism for the study of biofuel production in microalgae.Here we report a high quality genomic assembly of Nannochloropsis gaditana, consisting of large contigs, up to 500 kbp long, and scaffolds that in most cases span the entire length of chromosomes. We identified 10,646 complete genes and charact...
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... sequenced the genome of the N. gaditana strain B-31 (Lubian, 1982) using 454 shotgun and SOLiD mate-paired sequencing (Supplemental Tables 1 and 2 report the sequenc- ing results). The 454 reads produced an estimated average coverage of 20×. ...
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... 454 reads produced an estimated average coverage of 20×. They were assembled using Newbler 2.6 and resulted in 3880 contigs accounting for a total of 27.27 Mbp with a N50 length of 40.85 kbp (see Supplemental Table 1). SOLiD mate-paired reads produced an average sequence coverage of 200×; they were aligned on the contigs and employed for constructing scaffolds using a custom scaffold- ing program, ScaMPI (described in Supplemental Note 1). ...
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... resulted in a final assembly of 26.3 Mbp distributed in 58 chromosome scale scaffolds (N50 of 1052 kbp and L50 of 11). Besides the nuclear genome, we produced the complete assem- bly of chloroplast and mitochondrion genomes, as reported in Table 1 (see Supplemental Figures 1 and 2, and Supplemental Table 3 for map and description of the organellar genomes). ...
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... prediction revealed a density of one gene every 2.6 kbp in the Nannochloropsis nuclear genome. On average, coding sequences have a length of 1.2 kbp and are interrupted by fewer than two short introns per gene (see Table 1). Similar genome structures are very common amongst eukaryotic microbial species that were shaped by evolution to bear small genomes with reduced intron content and short intergenic sequences (Fraser-Liggett, 2005). ...
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... genome structures are very common amongst eukaryotic microbial species that were shaped by evolution to bear small genomes with reduced intron content and short intergenic sequences (Fraser-Liggett, 2005). We also identified the com- plete set of ribosomal and transfer RNA in the nuclear and organellar genomes (see Supplemental Tables 10 and 11 for a complete list). The genomic assembly indicates that the nuclear ribosomal operon is present in a single copy; this uncommon condition is confirmed by the analysis of the cov- erage of the contig harboring the rRNAs. ...
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... found that 94% of the bases annotated as CDS in CCMP526 were also confirmed by our B-31 prediction. In contrast, about half of the bases anno- tated as CDS in B-31 were not annotated in CCMP526 (see Supplemental Tables 12 and 13, and Supplemental Note 3 for detailed results of the analysis). This discrepancy originates from two main reasons: first, the number of predicted genes of B-31 is higher; second, the predicted genes of B-31 are in general longer than their CCMP526 counterparts. ...
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... assigned a function to 6311 of the 10 646 (59%) pre- dicted proteins by homology search analysis (see Table 1). Furthermore, we integrated the annotation based on pro- tein similarity with the identification of conserved protein domains and known functional signatures; finally, we com- bined all this information to produce a prediction of the Nannochloropsis metabolic pathways, which is available online (www.nannochloropsis.org/tool/metacyc). ...
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... the following paragraphs, we report the analyses of some pro- cesses relevant to genetic engineering and to the potential improvement of the organism. More analyses that are not reported in this manuscript can be found in Supplemental Notes 4 and 5, and Supplemental Tables 14 and 15. ...
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... evidence for sexual reproduction has never been observed in Nannochloropsis, the presence of functional meiotic machinery was already suggested after the first genome draft ( Radakovits et al., 2012). We were able to reveal a more extensive set of genes involved in recombina- tion of genomic DNA, finding supporting evidence also at the level of gene expression (Supplemental Table 16 reports the list of meiotic-related genes identified in our annotation). Homologs of the meiosis-specific genes Spo11, Hop1, Hop2, Mnd1, Dmc1, and Msh5, which are considered markers of sex- ual reproduction ( Schurko and Logsdon, 2008), are all present in N. gaditana. ...
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... third sample was analyzed after 6-d starvation, when lipid accumulation was massive and oil droplets were also clearly visible using the confocal microscope (see Figure 3). The expression values of all the genes in the three experiments and their respec- tive controls are reported in Supplemental Table 17. After 3 d of nitrogen deprivation, 532 genes resulted overexpressed in the stressed samples as compared to the controls, while 407 genes were down-regulated. ...
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... suggests that, together with nitrogen assimilation mechanisms (see Supplemental Note 6 for details on these processes), a sys- tem of internal nitrogen redistribution is also active in the cells. Supplemental Table 18 reports the mRNA levels of genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. ...
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... is interesting to point out that, in contrast to the rela- tive stability of protein synthesis in the cytosol, protein syn- thesis in the organelles is severely reduced immediately after the beginning of starvation. This is not surprising, since the transcription itself is strongly down-regulated (Supplemental Tables 19 and 20 report the expression of genes involved in transcription and translation in the nucleus and in the orga- nelles, respectively). As a consequence, many of the proteins encoded in the organelles are markedly less expressed in nitro- gen-deprived cells (Supplemental Table 21 is a list of genes encoded in the organelles with their level of expression). ...
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... is not surprising, since the transcription itself is strongly down-regulated (Supplemental Tables 19 and 20 report the expression of genes involved in transcription and translation in the nucleus and in the orga- nelles, respectively). As a consequence, many of the proteins encoded in the organelles are markedly less expressed in nitro- gen-deprived cells (Supplemental Table 21 is a list of genes encoded in the organelles with their level of expression). ...
Citations
... Inadequate nitrogen levels may hinder the development of these bladders. Moreover, nitrogen deficiency can impact the expression of genes (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al. 2014) and regulatory pathways that dictate the development of salt bladders. These results suggest that nitrogen is very important for quinoa growth and that salt treatment can only enhance the growth of quinoa by promoting the development of salt bladder bladders if sufficient nitrogen is available. ...
Salt bladders, specialized structures on the surface of quinoa leaves, secrete Na+ to mitigate the effects of the plant from abiotic stresses, particularly salt exposure. Understanding the development of these structures is crucial for elucidating quinoa’s salt tolerance mechanisms. In this study, we employed transmission electron microscopy to detail cellular differentiation across the developmental stages of quinoa salt bladders. To further explore the developmental trajectory and underlying molecular mechanisms, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing on quinoa protoplasts derived from young leaves. This allowed us to construct a cellular atlas, identifying 13 distinct cell clusters. Through pseudotime analysis, we mapped the developmental pathways of salt bladders and identified regulatory factors involved in cell fate decisions. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, as well as experimental results, revealed the impacts of salt stress and the deprivation of sulfur and nitrogen on the development of quinoa salt bladders. Analysis of the transcription factor interaction network in pre-stalk cells (pre-SC), stalk cells (SC), and epidermal bladder cells (EBCs) indicated that TCP5, YAB5, NAC078, SCL8, GT-3B, and T1P17.40 play crucial roles in EBC development. Based on our findings, we developed an informative model elucidating salt bladder formation. This study provides a vital resource for mapping quinoa leaf cells and contributes to our understanding of its salt tolerance mechanisms.
... ;https://doi.org/10.1101https://doi.org/10. /2023 Material and Methods Draft model automatic reconstruction and manual curation iMgadit23 was reconstructed based on the complete genome sequence of M. gaditana B-31 (GenBank accession number GCA_000569095.1) (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al., 2014), according to the methodology presented in (Pereira et al., 2018). Briefly, model reconstruction was carried out in three different phases: ...
The oleaginous microalga Microchloropsis gaditana (formerly Nannochloropsis gaditana) has gained large interest due to its potential to produce lipids for a wide range of biotechnological applications. To optimize M. gaditana growth conditions and develop new strains to enhance lipid synthesis and accumulation, a broad understanding of the organism metabolism is essential. Computational models such as genome-scale metabolic models constitute powerful tools for unravelling microorganism metabolism. In this work we present iMgadit23, a new genome-scale metabolic model for M. gaditana. Model covers 2330 reactions involving 1977 metabolites and associated with 889 genes. Pathways involved in membrane and storage glycerolipid biosynthesis and degradation have undergone thorough manual curation and have been comprehensively described based on current knowledge of M. gaditana lipid metabolism. Additionally, we developed a detailed 2D-pathway map of model content to provide a systems-level visualization of M. gaditana metabolism. We demonstrated the predictive capabilities of iMgadit23, validating its ability to qualitatively and quantitatively capture in vivo growth phenotypes under diverse environmental and genetic conditions. Model was also able to capture the role of the Bubblegum acyl-CoA synthetase in remodeling M. gaditana lipid metabolism. iMgadit23 and its 2D maps constitute valuable tools to increase understanding of M. gaditana metabolism and deciphering mutant phenotypes, specifically in the context of lipid metabolism. The model holds significant promise in predicting M. gaditana metabolic capabilities under varying genetic and environmental conditions, facilitating strain engineering, and optimizing cultivation processes for a broad range of industrial applications.
... Remarkably, both the cellular nitrogen compound biosynthetic process and the cellular nitrogen compound metabolic process are implicated in the formation of nitrogen, a crucial component for the production of, amino acids, proteins, different types of enzymes, DNA and RNA in all microorganisms [70]. Among the cellular function terms cellular anatomical entity (GO:0110165), tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme complex (GO:0045239), cytoplasm (GO:0005737), etc., were mostly enriched. ...
Moraxella catarrhalis is a symbiotic as well as mucosal infection-causing bacterium unique to humans. Currently, it is considered as one of the leading factors of acute middle ear infection in children. As M. catarrhalis is resistant to multiple drugs, the treatment is unsuccessful; therefore, innovative and forward-thinking approaches are required to combat the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). To better comprehend the numerous processes that lead to antibiotic resistance in M. catarrhalis, we have adopted a computational method in this study. From the NCBI-Genome database, we investigated 12 strains of M. catarrhalis. We explored the interaction network comprising 74 antimicrobial-resistant genes found by analyzing M. catarrhalis bacterial strains. Moreover, to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the AMR system, clustering and the functional enrichment analysis were assessed employing AMR gene interactions networks. According to the findings of our assessment, the majority of the genes in the network were involved in antibiotic inactivation; antibiotic target replacement, alteration and antibiotic efflux pump processes. They exhibit resistance to several antibiotics, such as isoniazid, ethionamide, cycloserine, fosfomycin, triclosan, etc. Additionally, rpoB, atpA, fusA, groEL and rpoL have the highest frequency of relevant interactors in the interaction network and are therefore regarded as the hub nodes. These genes can be exploited to create novel medications by serving as possible therapeutic targets. Finally, we believe that our findings could be useful to advance knowledge of the AMR system present in M. catarrhalis.
... They are known to facilitate protein-protein interactions and the assembly of multiprotein complexes. LDE is homologous to Stress-Inducible Protein-1 (STI1), a cochaperone expressed under N starvation in Nannochloropsis gaditana (Carpinelli et al., 2014). ...
Phaeodactylum tricornutum is an oleaginous diatom whose lipid droplet proteome has been experimentally determined. Under nitrogen starvation lipid droplets accumulate within the cytoplasm. These lipid droplets are known to be associated with nearly 700 proteins as determined previously in proteomics experiments. The goal of my Ph.D. thesis was to elucidate the physiological relevance of the study of a small subset of proteins from the lipid droplet proteome, this included verifying their localization and tracking their dynamics as diatom cells underwent nitrogen starvation and subsequent recovery. Several novel molecular tools were developed, tested and improved to facilitate this research work.
First, it was apparent from preliminary work that the brightness of eGFP fusion of lipid droplet proteins was inadequate for fluorescence microscopy, more so when expressed from native promoters. This was remediated by testing fluorescent proteins known to be brighter than eGFP and led to the identification of Clover(A206K), brighter and monomeric derivative of avGFP.
Second, a multiplexed system for genome editing was developed and used to create a deletion mutant for StLDP, the major lipid droplet protein in this diatom. The StLDP knock out lines displayed retarded growth under nitrogen replete conditions and were unable to remobilize lipid droplets upon resupply of nitrogen when recovering from nitrogen starvation. This indicates a role of StLDP in the autophagic remobilization of lipid droplets while recovering from nitrogen starvation. In contrast to U6 or sRNA promoters used in extant CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis systems reported in P. tricornutum, here, it was demonstrated that polymerase II promoters can be deployed easily for multiplexing up to four targets. Furthermore, we found that E. coli strain NEB® Stable which is capable of efficiently propagating plasmids with multiple repeats is essential for successful assembly and episomal delivery via conjugation of the gene editing construct.
Third, owing to a paucity of efficient and cost-effective selectable markers for transformation of P. tricornutum, we embarked on the development of an endogenous selectable marker by mutagenesis of the native phytoene desaturase and by selecting mutants displaying high tolerance to the bleaching herbicide norflurazon. We successfully isolated two highly resistant mutants and used the mutagenized sequence from the most resistant mutant to develop a selectable marker for transformation and demonstrated its stability within transgenic lines.
Finally, using Clover(A206K) fluorescent protein and the endogenous selectable marker, expression vectors were assembled via uLoop recursive cloning method, and transgenic lines were created for studying dynamics of proteins from the lipid droplet proteome. Expression vectors with Clover(A206K)-lipid droplet protein fusions assembled with native promoters or overexpressing promoters revealed details of cellular localization and dynamics of the selected LD protein.
... Only one predicted isoform of phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase is present in the genome of Nannochloropsis gaditana (PDAT, NgPDAT; Naga_100065g17; genomic DNA sequence in Supplementary Data S1) (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al., 2014). PDAT was previously shown to be upregulated when algae are cultivated under strong illumination, a condition that induced TAG accumulation (Alboresi et al., 2016), suggesting it could be a gene involved in lipid biosynthesis. ...
Oleaginous microalgae represent potential feedstocks for the sustainable production of lipids thanks to their ability to accumulate triacylglycerols (TAGs). TAG accumulation in several algal species is strongly induced under specific conditions such as nutrient deprivation and high light which, however, also negatively impact growth. Genetic modification of lipogenic pathways can potentially enhance TAG accumulation without negatively affecting growth, avoiding the trade-off between biomass and lipids productivity.
In this study, the phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT), an enzyme involved in membrane lipid recycling, was overexpressed in the seawater alga Nannochloropsis gaditana. PDAT overexpression induced increased TAG content in actively growing algae cultures while no effects were observed in conditions naturally stimulating strong lipid accumulation such as high light and nitrogen starvation. The increase of TAG content was confirmed also in a strain cultivated in industrially relevant conditions even though PDAT overexpression, if too strong, the gene overexpression becomes detrimental for growth in the longer term. Results overall suggest that genetic modulation of the PDAT gene represents a promising strategy to increase microalgae lipids content by minimizing negative effects on biomass productivity.
... For Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae dominated the ASVs, followed by Mamiellophyceae. Ochrophyta was dominated by one single species, Nannochloropsis gaditana, which is likely a limitation of the reference libraries, as it is one of two species of its genus to be sequenced (Carpinelli et al. 2014). Interestingly, M. balthica that were sampled before feeding, were fed N. spumigena, and were fed S. marinoi all showed similar gut content composition, with similar relative abundance of the main taxa; the most abundant was Cyanophyceae, followed by Trebouxiophyceae, and Eustigmatophycae (Fig. 16A). ...
Trophic interactions are ecologically important, as they structure communities, and globally important for the ecosystem functions that they facilitate. Anthropogenic pressures are altering the structure of food webs, their stability, and resilience to change. Benthic detritivorous food webs are particularly important for their role in nutrient cycling, creating benthic-pelagic links, and provisioning for higher, commercially important trophic levels, such as fish. However, benthic detritivorous food webs have been understudied due to difficulties in sampling and interpreting diet information, and many trophic links are uncertain. Additionally, it is unknown how anthropogenic stresses, such as eutrophication and climate change, impact the structure and function of these food webs. The aim of this thesis is to address how anthropogenic stressors are affecting benthic invertebrate food webs in the Baltic Sea. Additionally, this thesis serves to elucidate some previously understudied trophic links, namely the food sources of generalist detritivorous macrofauna species, by novel molecular techniques (Studies III and IV) alongside traditional food webs assembled from feeding observation literature (Study I) and stable isotopes (Studies II and IV). Results show that benthic macrofaunal food webs have changed, are changing and will change as a result of anthropogenic impacts in the Baltic Sea. Modelling of benthic invertebrate trophic networks demonstrates that the architecture of these networks has changed since the 1980s, primarily in the marine Skagerrak, where we observed a 32 % reduction in species richness (Study I). We also found that network complexity was strongly and positively correlated with species richness and salinity, which gives cause for concern with current rates of biodiversity loss and the decline in Baltic Sea salinity due to climate change. Several benthic detritivore species in the Baltic Sea have shown trophic plasticity and ability to adapt to changes in the environment. The sentinel amphipod species Monoporeia affinis did not show changes in diet with increased organic enrichment, as shown through bulk stable isotopes (Study II). We did, however, find a possible tradeoff between female condition and reproductive success, where females in lower organic matter sediments showed higher body condition (measured through C:N), but produced offspring with lower biomass than females in higher organic matter sediment (Study II). Additionally, the widespread and important bioturbator Baltic clam Macoma balthica showed little change in trophic niche measured through stable isotopes and DNA metabarcoding of phytoplankton in their digestive tract throughout the year (Study IV). This sampling also took place during a major heat wave, with a large bloom of the toxic cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena. We confirmed by qPCR that M. balthica does indeed consume N. spumigena, but it does not constitute one of the top phytoplankton taxa consumed despite its abundance (Studies III and IV). The diet plasticity of these two important Baltic detritivore species will be vital for maintaining ecosystem functions as climate change exacerbates eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, shifting the phytoplankton communities, and thus organic matter input to the sediments, from a diatom-dominated to a more cyanobacteria-dominated system. As far as we are aware, these are the first studies to investigate the diet of Baltic Sea benthic detritivores with molecular methods (Studies III and IV). This thesis shows that Baltic Sea benthic invertebrate food webs show some resilience to eutrophication and climate change through high diet plasticity of key detritivorous species, but there are also potential tipping points approaching, as shown by the Skagerrak network deterioration. Studies utilizing combinations of trophic network determination methods on benthic detritivores are recommended. Addition-ally, continued biodiversity monitoring of these species, with added food web monitoring, is needed to ensure future ecosystem functional stability and resilience.
... Currently, most of the studies concerned the performance of C. subellipsoidea for lipid accumulation under nitrogen depletion, such as, high lipid content of 50.5% DW and 52.16% DW under nitrogen limitation (Wang et al., 2019). Whereas lipid accumulation is generally achieved at the expense of cell growth under nitrogen deprivation (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al., 2014); additionally, C. subellipsoidea was only applied to biodiesel production, restricting its application potential in multiple areas, which further reduced the economic viability of C. subellipsoidea cultivation. In our previous study, a 2% CO 2 supply could improve biomass productivity by encouraging autotrophic growth of C. subellipsoidea (Peng et al., 2016), suggesting the technical feasibility for CO 2 fixation using C. subellipsoidea. ...
Microalgae used for CO2 biofixation can effectively relieve CO2 emissions and produce high-value biomass to achieve “waste-to-treasure” bioconversion. However, the low CO2 fixation efficiency and the restricted application of biomass are currently bottlenecks, limiting the economic viability of CO2 biofixation by microalgae. To achieve high-efficient CO2 fixation and high-protein biomass production, the oleaginous microalga Coccomyxa subellipsoidea (C. subellipsoidea) was cultivated autotrophically through optimizing inorganic carbon and nitrogen supply. 0.42 g L⁻¹ NaHCO3 supplemented with 2% CO2 as a hybrid carbon source resulted in high biomass concentration (3.89 g L⁻¹) and productivity (318.33) with CO2 fixation rate 544.21 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹ in shake flasks. Then, used in a 5-L photo-fermenter, the maximal protein content (60.93% DW) in batch 1, and the highest CO2 fixation rate (1043.95 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹) with protein content (58.48% DW) in batch 2 of repeated fed-batch cultures were achieved under 2.5 g L⁻¹ nitrate. The relative expression of key genes involved in photosynthesis, glycolysis, and protein synthesis showed significant upregulation. This study developed a promising approach for enhancing carbon allocation to protein synthesis in oleaginous microalga, facilitating the bioconversion of the fixed carbon into algal protein instead of oil in green manufacturing.
... Fortunately, genetic resources have been exponentially increasing during the last decade thanks to Next Generation Sequencing technologies, and thus complete genomes as well as transcriptomes obtained by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of many different organisms and cell types are nowadays available in databases. Regarding microalgae, this last high throughput technology has been applied with success to analyse the whole adaptive physiological responses to changes in varying culture conditions (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al., 2014;Scarsini et al., 2022). However, to study particular metabolic pathways, the construction of RT-qPCR platforms for the expression analysis of a variable number of selected and representative genes becomes a valuable approach. ...
Tetraselmis chui is known to accumulate starch when subjected to stress. This phenomenon is widely studied for the purpose of industrial production and process development. Yet, knowledge about the metabolic pathways involved is still immature. Hence, in this study, transcription of 27 starch-related genes was monitored under nitrogen deprivation and resupply in 25 L tubular photobioreactors. T. chui proved to be an efficient starch producer under nitrogen deprivation, accumulating up to 56% of relative biomass content. The prolonged absence of nitrogen led to an overall down-regulation of the tested genes, in most instances maintained even after nitrogen replenishment when starch was actively degraded. These gene expression patterns suggest post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms playing a key role in T. chui under nutrient stress. Finally, the high productivity combined with an efficient recovery after nitrogen restitution makes this species a suitable candidate for industrial production of high-starch biomass.
... have emerged as one research model organism, due to high productivity of TAG and eicosapentaenoic acids, their rapid photosynthetic growth, tolerance to various environmental conditions and amenability to multiple genetic manipulation (Chua and Schenk, 2017;Poliner et al., 2018). Up to now, the genomes of many representive Nannochloropsis species and strains have been sequenced and assembled, such as N. oceanica IMET1 Wang et al., 2014a), N. gaditana CCMP526 (Radakovits et al., 2012), N. oceanica CCMP1779 (Vieler et al., 2012), N. oceanica (Guo et al., 2019), N. salina CCMP537 (Wang et al., 2014a), N. oculata CCMP525 (Wang et al., 2014a), N. gaditana (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al., 2014), N. salina CCMP 1776 (Ohan et al., 2019), and N. granulata CCMP529 (Wang et al., 2014a). They are generally 28.5-30 Mb long and encode ~10,000 genes. ...
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to participate in plant growth and development as well as response to different biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the knowledge of lncRNA was limited in microalgae. In this study, by RNA deep sequencing, 134 lncRNAs were identified in marine Nannochloropsis oceanica in response to carbon dioxide fluctuation. Among them, there were 51 lncRNAs displayed differentially expressed between low and high CO2 treatments, including 33 upregulation and 18 downregulation lncRNAs. Cellulose metabolic process, glucan metabolic process, polysaccharide metabolic process, and transmembrane transporter activity were functionally enriched. Multiple potential target genes of lncRNA and lncRNA-mRNA co-located gene network were analyzed. Subsequent analysis had demonstrated that lncRNAs would participate in many biological molecular processes, including gene expression, transcriptional regulation, protein expression and epigenetic regulation. In addition, alternative splicing events were firstly analyzed in response to CO2 fluctuation. There were 2051 alternative splicing (AS events) identified, which might be associated with lncRNA. These observations will provide a novel insight into lncRNA function in Nannochloropsis and provide a series of targets for lncRNA-based gene editing in future.
... Although its lipid productivity is lower compared to other biotechnologically important algae, it serves as a test organism allowing the development of different tools, techniques and approaches and it can also be used for heterologous production (and secretion) of proteins and other compounds (see below Section 4.3), for review see Dyo and Purton (2018) and Taunt et al. (2017). Nannochloropsis sp. is another biotechnologically important microalga that not only has a genome sequence (Corteggiani Carpinelli et al., 2014;Radakovits et al., 2012;Vieler et al., 2012) but also an established molecular toolkit (Kang et al., 2015;Radakovits et al., 2012;Vieler et al., 2012). The same applies to another biotechnologically promising species (Barten et al., 2020;Dahlin et al., 2019;Foflonker et al., 2018;Gonzalez-Esquer et al., 2019;Krasovec et al., 2018) from the genus Picochlorum, the genome of which was sequenced recently (Becker et al., 2020). ...
Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms that can be exploited for the production of different compounds, ranging from crude biomass and biofuels to high value-added biochemicals and synthetic proteins. Traditionally, algal biotechnology relies on bioprospecting to identify new highly productive strains and more recently, on forward genetics to further enhance productivity. However, it has become clear that further improvements in algal productivity for biotechnology is impossible without combining traditional tools with the arising molecular genetics toolkit. We review recent advantages in developing high throughput screening methods, preparing genome-wide mutant libraries, and establishing genome editing techniques. We discuss how algae can be improved in terms of photosynthetic efficiency, biofuel and high value-added compound production. Finally, we critically evaluate developments over recent years and explore future potential in the field.
