Branched-Chain Amino Acid Catabolism Impacts Triacylglycerol Homeostasis in .

Nitrogen (N) starvation-induced triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis, and its complex relationship with starch metabolism in algal cells, has been intensively studied; however, few studies have examined the interaction between amino acid metabolism and TAG biosynthesis. Here, via a forward genetic screen for TAG homeostasis, we isolated a () mutant () that is deficient in the E1α subunit of the branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) complex. Metabolomics analysis revealed a defect in the catabolism of branched-chain amino acids in Furthermore, this mutant accumulated 30% less TAG than the parental strain during N starvation and was compromised in TAG remobilization upon N resupply.

An algal photoenzyme converts fatty acids to hydrocarbons.

Although many organisms capture or respond to sunlight, few enzymes are known to be driven by light. Among these are DNA photolyases and the photosynthetic reaction centers. Here, we show that the microalga NC64A harbors a photoenzyme that acts in lipid metabolism.

Whole Genome Re-Sequencing Identifies a Quantitative Trait Locus Repressing Carbon Reserve Accumulation during Optimal Growth in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Microalgae have emerged as a promising source for biofuel production. Massive oil and starch accumulation in microalgae is possible, but occurs mostly when biomass growth is impaired. The molecular networks underlying the negative correlation between growth and reserve formation are not known.

Hyper-accumulation of starch and oil in a Chlamydomonas mutant affected in a plant-specific DYRK kinase.

Background: Because of their high biomass productivity and their ability to accumulate high levels of energy-rich reserve compounds such as oils or starch, microalgae represent a promising feedstock for the production of biofuel. Accumulation of reserve compounds takes place when microalgae face adverse situations such as nutrient shortage, conditions which also provoke a stop in cell division, and down-regulation of photosynthesis. Despite growing interest in microalgal biofuels, little is known about molecular mechanisms controlling carbon reserve formation.

The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has a single ω-3 fatty acid desaturase that localizes to the chloroplast and impacts both plastidic and extraplastidic membrane lipids.

The ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids account for more than 50% of total fatty acids in the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, where they are present in both plastidic and extraplastidic membranes. In an effort to elucidate the lipid desaturation pathways in this model alga, a mutant with more than 65% reduction in total ω-3 fatty acids was isolated by screening an insertional mutant library using gas chromatography-based analysis of total fatty acids of cell pellets. Molecular genetics analyses revealed the insertion of a TOC1 transposon 113 bp upstream of the ATG start codon of a putative ω-3 desaturase (CrFAD7; locus Cre01.

Auxiliary electron transport pathways in chloroplasts of microalgae.

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms which cover an extraordinary phylogenic diversity and have colonized extremely diverse habitats. Adaptation to contrasted environments in terms of light and nutrient's availabilities has been possible through a high flexibility of the photosynthetic machinery. Indeed, optimal functioning of photosynthesis in changing environments requires a fine tuning between the conversion of light energy by photosystems and its use by metabolic reaction, a particularly important parameter being the balance between phosphorylating (ATP) and reducing (NADPH) power supplies.

Characterization of Nda2, a plastoquinone-reducing type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenase in chlamydomonas chloroplasts.

Electron transfer pathways associated to oxygenic photosynthesis, including cyclic electron flow around photosystem I and chlororespiration, rely on non-photochemical reduction of plastoquinones (PQs). In higher plant chloroplasts, a bacterial-like NDH complex homologous to complex I is involved in PQ reduction, but such a complex is absent from Chlamydomonas plastids where a type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenase activity has been proposed to operate. With the aim to elucidate the nature of the enzyme-supporting non-photochemical reduction of PQs, one of the type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases identified in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genome (Nda2) was produced as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli and further characterized.

Large-scale analysis of gene expression: methods and application to the kidney.

Characterization of tissue-specific gene expression profiles, or transcriptomes, may serve two purposes: a) establishing relationships between cell transcriptomes and functions (i.e. molecular and physiological phenotypes) under physiological and pathophysiological conditions serves to elucidate gene functions, and b) determination of the totality of genes expressed in a cell seems a prerequisite for understanding cell functions, because the properties of proteins vary with their environment.

Renal transcriptomes: segmental analysis of differential expression.

Background/aims: Progress accomplished by complete genomes and cDNA-sequencing projects calls for methods that fully use these resources to study gene expression patterns in characterized cell populations. However, since the number of functional genes cannot be readily inferred from the genomic sequence, it is highly desirable to make use of methods enabling to study both known and unknown genes.

Methods: The method of serial analysis of gene expression provides short diagnostic cDNA tags without bias towards known genes.