A custom 3D printed paddlewheel improves growth in flat panel photobioreactor.

One of the main challenges with using flat panel photobioreactors for algal growth is uneven mixing and settling of cells in corners, especially when bubbling is the only method used for mixing. In order to improve mixing in our flat panel reactor, we designed a custom paddlewheel. Paddlewheels are frequently used in outdoor algae raceway ponds to improve mixing and we are taking advantage of the same principle for mixing in the reactor.

Chlamydomonas mutants lacking chloroplast TRIOSE PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER3 are metabolically compromised and light sensitive.

Modulation of photoassimilate export from the chloroplast is essential for controlling the distribution of fixed carbon in the cell and maintaining optimum photosynthetic rates. In this study, we identified chloroplast TRIOSE PHOSPHATE/PHOSPHATE TRANSLOCATOR 2 (CreTPT2) and CreTPT3 in the green alga Chlamydomonas (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), which exhibit similar substrate specificities but whose encoding genes are differentially expressed over the diurnal cycle. We focused mostly on CreTPT3 because of its high level of expression and the severe phenotype exhibited by tpt3 relative to tpt2 mutants.

Isotopically nonstationary C metabolic flux analysis in resting and activated human platelets.

Platelet metabolism is linked to platelet hyper- and hypoactivity in numerous human diseases. Developing a detailed understanding of the link between metabolic shifts and platelet activation state is integral to improving human health. Here, we show the first application of isotopically nonstationary C metabolic flux analysis to quantitatively measure carbon fluxes in both resting and thrombin activated platelets.