Temperature Acclimation of the Picoalga Triggers Early Fatty-Acid Variations and Involves a Plastidial ω3-Desaturase.

Alteration of fatty-acid unsaturation is a universal response to temperature changes. Marine microalgae display the largest diversity of polyunsaturated fatty-acid (PUFA) whose content notably varies according to temperature. The physiological relevance and the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes are however, still poorly understood.

Plastidic Δ6 Fatty-Acid Desaturases with Distinctive Substrate Specificity Regulate the Pool of C18-PUFAs in the Ancestral Picoalga .

Eukaryotic Δ6-desaturases are microsomal enzymes that balance the synthesis of ω-3 and ω-6 C18-polyunsaturated fatty acids (C18-PUFAs) according to their specificity. In several microalgae, including , plastidic C18-PUFAs are strictly regulated by environmental cues suggesting an autonomous control of Δ6-desaturation of plastidic PUFAs. Here, we identified two putative front-end Δ6/Δ8-desaturases from that, together with putative homologs, cluster apart from other characterized Δ6-desaturases.

Glycerolipid Characterization and Nutrient Deprivation-Associated Changes in the Green Picoalga .

The picoalga is a minimal photosynthetic eukaryote that has been used as a model system. is known to efficiently produce docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We provide a comprehensive study of the glycerolipidome of and validate this species as model for related picoeukaryotes.