Effects of L-carnitine on Population Growth of Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetrahymena sp.

[Objective] The aim was to study the effects of L-carnitine on population growth of Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetrahymena sp..[Method] When the concentration of L-carnitine was 0,50,100 and 1 000 mg/L,population densities of Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetrahymena were determined respectively.[Result] Adding high-dose L-carnitine had a significant inhibition effect on the population growth of Nannochloropsis oculata （P0.05）.Adding L-carnitine had a significant proliferation promoting effect on the population growth of Tetrahymena （P0.05）.[Conclusion] The research provides theoretical basis for the application of L-carnitine as feed additive in aquaculture.

Cloning and characterization of a delta-6 desaturase encoding gene from Nannochloropsis oculata

A gene （NANOC-D6D） encoding a desaturase that removes two hydrogen atoms from fatty acids at delta 6 position was isolated from a cDNA library of Nannochloropsis oculata （Droop） D. J. Hibberd （Eustigmatophyceae）. The unicellular marine microalga N. oculata synthesizes rich long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids （LCPUFAs）, including eicosapentaenoic acid （20：5n-3, EPA）. The deduced protein contains 474 amino acids that fold into 4 trans-membrane domains. The neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree indicates that NANOC-D6D is phylogenetically close to the delta-6 fatty acid desaturase of marine microalgae such as Glossomastix chrysoplasta, Thalassiosira pseudonana, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The gene was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae INVScl to verify the substrate specificity of NAN OC-D6D. Our results suggest that the recombinant NANOC-D6D simultaneously desaturates linoleic acid （LA） and a-linolenic acid （ALA）.

Cloning and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Fatty Acid Elongase Gene from Nannochloropsis oculata CS179

Nannochloropsis oculata CS179, a unicellular marine microalga, is rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids （LCPUFAs）. Elongase and desaturase play a key role in the biosynthesis of PUFAs. A new elongase gene, which encodes 322 amino acids, was identified via RT-PCR and 5＇ and 3＇ RACE. The sequence of the elongase gene was blast-searched in the NCBI GenBank and showed a similarity to those of the coptosporidium. But the NJ-tree revealed that the N. oculata CS 179 elongase clustered with those of the microalgae Phaeodac^lum tricornutum, Ostreocoecus tauri and Thalassiosira pseudonana.

Construction and characterization of a normalized cDNA library of Nannochloropsis oculata(Eustigmatophyceae)

We constructed and characterized a normalized cDNA library of Nannochloropsis oculata CS-179,and obtained 905 nonredundant sequences(NRSs) ranging from 431-1 756 bp in length.Among them,496 were very similar to nonredundant ones in the GenBank(E ≤1.0e-05),and 349 ESTs had significant hits with the clusters of eukaryotic orthologous groups(KOG).Bases G and/or C at the third position of codons of 14 amino acid residues suggested a strong bias in the conserved domain of 362 NRSs(>60%).We also identified the unigenes encoding phosphorus and nitrogen transporters,suggesting that N.oculata could efficiently transport and metabolize phosphorus and nitrogen,and recognized the unigenes that involved in biosynthesis and storage of both fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs),which will facilitate the demonstration of eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) biosynthesis pathway of N.oculata.In comparison with the original cDNA library,the normalized library significantly increased the efficiencies of random sequencing and rarely expressed genes discovering,and decreased the frequency of abundant gene sequences.

Low-Temperature Affected LC-PUFA Conversion and Associated Gene Transcript Level in Nannochloropsis oculata CS-179

Nannochloropsis oculata CS-179, a marine eukaryotic unicellular microalga, is rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). Culture temperature affected cell growth and the composition of LC-PUFAs. At an initial cell density of 1.5 × 106 cell mL-1, the highest growth was observed at 25℃ and the cell density reached 3 × 107 cell mL-1 at the beginning of loga-rithmic phase. The content of LC-PUFAs varied with culture temperature.The highest content of LC-PUFAs (43.96%) and EPA (36.6%) was gained at 20℃. Real-time PCR showed that the abundance of Δ6-desaturase gene transcripts was significantly different among 5 culture temperatures and the highest transcript level (15℃) of Nanoc-D6D took off at cycle 21.45. The gene transcript of C20-elongase gene was higher at lower temperatures (10, 15, and 20℃), and the highest transcript level (20℃) of Nanoc-E took off at cycle 21.18. The highest conversion rate (39.3%) of Δ6-desaturase was also gained at 20℃.But the conversion rate of Nanoc-E was not detected. The higher content of LC-PUFAs was a result of higher gene transcript level and higher enzyme activity. Compared with C20-elongase gene, Δ6-desaturase gene transcript and enzyme activity varied significantly with temperature. It will be useful to study the mechanism of how the content of LC-PUFAs is affected by temperature.

Temperature effects on lipid properties of microalgae Tetraselmis subcordiformis and Nannochloropsis oculata as biofuel resources

Microalgae Tetraselmis subcordiformis and Nannochloropsis oculata were cultured at 15,20,25,30,and 35℃ and their properties as potential biofuel resources were examined.The results indicate that T.subcordiformis and N.oculata grew best at 20℃ and 25℃ and yielded the highest total lipids at 20℃and 30℃,respectively.With increased temperature,neutral lipid and polyunsaturated fatty acids(FAs)decreased while saturated FAs increased,accompanied by increased monounsaturated FAs(MUFAs) in T.subcordiformis and decreased MUFAs in N.oculata;meanwhile,the predicted cetane number of FA methyl esters increased from 45.3 to 47.6 in T.subcordiformis and from 52.3 to 60.3 in N.oculata.Therefore,optimizing culture temperatures is important for improving microalgal biodiesel production.

Genetic Transformation of Nannochloropsis oculata with a Bacterial Phleomycin Resistance Gene as Dominant Selective Marker

The gene ble from Streptoalloteichus hindustanus is widely used as a selective antibiotic marker. It can control the phleomycin resistance, and significantly increase the tolerance of hosts to zeocin. The unicellular marine microalga Nannochloropsis oculata is extremely sensitive to zeocin. We selected ble as the selective marker for the genetic transformation of N. oculata. After the algal cells at a density of 2× 10^7 cells mL-1 was digested with 4% hemicellulase and 2% driselase for 1 h, the protoplasts accounted for 90% of the total. The ble was placed at the downstream of promoter HSP70A-RUBS2 isolated from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, yielding a recombinant expression construct pMS 188. The construct was transferred into the protoplasts through electroporation （1 kV, 15 μS）. The transformed protoplasts were cultured in fresh f/2 liquid medium, and selected on solid f/2 medium supplemented with 500 ng mL-t zeoein. The PCR result proved that ble existed in the transformants. Three transformants had been cultured for at least 5 generations without losing ble. Southern blotting analysis showed that the ble has been integrated into the genome of N. oculata. The ble will serve as a new dominant selective marker in genetic engineering N. oculata.

Fatty Acid Composition Analyses of the DCMU Resistant Mutants of Nannochloropsis oculata(Eustigmatophyceae)

Ultraviolet mutagenesis was applied to Nannochloropsis oculata and three mutants resistant to 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) were isolated. The cellular chlorophyll a and total lipid content of the wild are higher in the medium supplemented with DCMU than in the control without DCMU. Without DCMU, the growth rates and chlorophyll a contents of the mutants are similar to those of the wild. Significant changes of fatty acid content and composition have occurred in DCMU-resistant mutants growing in the medium supplemented with DCMU. The total lipid, palmitic acid (16∶0), palmitoleic acid (16∶1ω9) and oleic (18∶1ω9) contents decrease significantly, while the vaccenic acid (18∶1ω11) increases significantly and the EPA content of dried powder increases slightly in the mutants. The study may provide a basis to improve EPA content in Nannochloropsis oculata in the future.

Thermogravimetric kinetic analysis of Nannochloropsis oculata combustion in air atmosphere

The thermal behavior of Nannochloropsis oculata combustion in air atmosphere were investigated by performing experiments on STA PT1600 Thermal Analyzer at heating rates of 10℃/min, 40℃/min and 70℃/min and range of temperatures from room tempera- ture to 1200℃. The kinetic parameters were evaluated by using Kissinger and Ozawa methods. The result showed that Nannochloropsis oculata combustion occurred in five stages. Started with initial devolatilization, the main thermal decomposition and combustion process, transition stage, the combustion of char and the last stage was the slow burning reaction of residual char. In line with increasing heating rate, the mass loss rate increased as well, but it delayed the thermal decomposition processes toward higher temperatures. The average activation energy at the main thermal decomposition stage and the stage of char combustion were approximately 251 kJ/mol and 178 kJ/mol, respectively.

A green synthesis of antimicrobial compounds from marine microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata

Objective:To determine the antibacterial and anti-candidal activities of fatty acid methyl esters(FAME)extracted from marine microalga Nannochloropsis oculata and evaluate the inhibition activity of DNA isolated from test pathogenic microorganism.Methods:FAME was synthesized by transesterification of oil using immobilized lipase and characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer.The FAME profile was determined using gas chromatography.The antimicrobial effect was tested by disc diffusion method against Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtilis,Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa and yeast Candida albicans,at varying concentrations of 10,20 and 30μL/disc.Results:The results shown that palmitic acid(C16:0),oleic acid(C18:1)and arachidic acid(C20:0)were dominant in Nannochloropsis oculata oil.The study revealed that FAME was more active against Gram-negative than against Gram-positive and yeast.DNA inhibition activity results also confirmed that FAME had the bactericidal effect that was revealed by sheared fragments of DNA.Conclusions:The results indicated that microalgal FAME could be potentially utilized as a newer and good source of therapeutic agent in pharmaceutical industry.