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Title: The Microalga Nannochloropsis during Transition from Quiescence to Autotrophy in Response to Nitrogen Availability

Journal Article · · Plant Physiology (Bethesda)
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Nicolaus Copernicus Univ., Toruń (Poland)
  2. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Nicolaus Copernicus Univ., Toruń (Poland); Univ. of Goettingen (Germany)
  3. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
  4. Univ. of Goettingen (Germany)

The marine microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica (CCMP1779) is a prolific producer of oil and is considered a viable and sustainable resource for biofuel feedstocks. Nitrogen (N) availability has a strong impact on the physiological status and metabolism of microalgal cells, but the exact nature of this response is poorly understood. To fill this gap we performed transcriptomic profiling combined with cellular and molecular analyses of N. oceanica CCMP1779 during the transition from quiescence to autotrophy. N deprivation-induced quiescence was accompanied by a strong reorganization of the photosynthetic apparatus and changes in the lipid homeostasis, leading to accumulation of triacylglycerol. Cell cycle activation and reestablishment of photosynthetic activity observed in response to resupply of the growth medium with N were accompanied by a rapid degradation of triacylglycerol stored in lipid droplets (LDs). Besides observing LD translocation into vacuoles, we also provide evidence for direct interaction between the LD surface protein (NoLDSP) and AUTOPHAGY-RELATED8 (NoATG8) protein and show a role of microlipophagy in LD turnover in N. oceanica CCMP1779. This knowledge is crucial not only for understanding the fundamental mechanisms controlling the cellular energy homeostasis in microalgal cells but also for development of efficient strategies to achieve higher algal biomass and better microalgal lipid productivity.

Research Organization:
Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-91ER20021; FC02-07ER64494; MCB1714561; IOS-1354721
OSTI ID:
1574533
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1735509
Journal Information:
Plant Physiology (Bethesda), Vol. 182, Issue 2; ISSN 0032-0889
Publisher:
American Society of Plant BiologistsCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 40 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (3)

Saturating Light Induces Sustained Accumulation of Oil in Plastidal Lipid Droplets in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii journal June 2016
Transcriptional program for nitrogen starvation-induced lipid accumulation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii dataset December 2015
Nannochloropsis, a rich source of diacylglycerol acyltransferases for engineering of triacylglycerol content in different hosts [Supplemental Data] dataset January 2017

Cited By (1)