Examination of triacylglycerol biosynthetic pathways via de novo transcriptomic and proteomic analyses in an unsequenced microalga

Biofuels derived from algal lipids represent an opportunity to dramatically impact the global energy demand for transportation fuels. Systems biology analyses of oleaginous algae could greatly accelerate the commercialization of algal-derived biofuels by elucidating the key components involved in li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2011-10, Vol.6 (10), p.e25851-e25851
Main Authors: Guarnieri, Michael T, Nag, Ambarish, Smolinski, Sharon L, Darzins, Al, Seibert, Michael, Pienkos, Philip T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
09 BIOMASS FUELS
Agriculture
Algae
Analysis
Aquatic microorganisms
Arabidopsis
BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biodiesel fuels
Biofuels
Biology
biomass
Biomass energy
Biosynthetic Pathways
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Chlorella
Chlorella vulgaris
Chlorophyceae
Commercialization
Cyclotella
Energy demand
Fatty acids
Gene expression
Gene Expression Profiling
Kinases
Lipids
Machinery and equipment
microalgae
Microalgae - genetics
Microalgae - metabolism
Oils
Proteomics
Systems analysis
Triglycerides
Triglycerides - biosynthesis
Up-Regulation
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Summary:Biofuels derived from algal lipids represent an opportunity to dramatically impact the global energy demand for transportation fuels. Systems biology analyses of oleaginous algae could greatly accelerate the commercialization of algal-derived biofuels by elucidating the key components involved in lipid productivity and leading to the initiation of hypothesis-driven strain-improvement strategies. However, higher-level systems biology analyses, such as transcriptomics and proteomics, are highly dependent upon available genomic sequence data, and the lack of these data has hindered the pursuit of such analyses for many oleaginous microalgae. In order to examine the triacylglycerol biosynthetic pathway in the unsequenced oleaginous microalga, Chlorella vulgaris, we have established a strategy with which to bypass the necessity for genomic sequence information by using the transcriptome as a guide. Our results indicate an upregulation of both fatty acid and triacylglycerol biosynthetic machinery under oil-accumulating conditions, and demonstrate the utility of a de novo assembled transcriptome as a search model for proteomic analysis of an unsequenced microalga.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0025851