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High temperature enhances lipid accumulation in nitrogen-deprived Scenedesmus obtusus XJ-15

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Abstract

This study investigated the changes in lipid and starch contents, lipid fraction, and lipid profile in the nitrogen-starved Scenedesmus obtusus XJ-15 at different temperatures (17, 25, and 33 °C). The optimal temperature for both growth and lipid accumulation under nitrogen-sufficient condition was found to be 25 °C. However, under nitrogen deprivation, the total and neutral lipids increased with increasing temperature, and achieved the highest lipid content of 47.60 % of dry cell weight and the highest TAG content of 79.66 % of total lipid at 33 °C. In the meantime, the stored cellular starch content decreased with the increasing temperature. Thus, high temperature induced carbon flux from starch toward TAG accumulation in microalgae during nitrogen starvation. In addition, the decreased polar lipids may also serve for TAG synthesis under high temperature, and high temperature further reduced the degree of the fatty acid unsaturation and favored a better biodiesel production. These results suggested that high-temperature stress can be a good strategy for enhancing biofuel production in oleaginous microalgae during nitrogen deficiency.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National 863 program (2013AA065804), International Partner Program of Innovation Team (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Platform Construction of Oleaginous Microalgae (Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS of China).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Ling Xia & Shaoxian Song

  2. Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Ling Xia & Chunxiang Hu

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  1. Ling Xia
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  2. Shaoxian Song
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Correspondence to Chunxiang Hu.

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Xia, L., Song, S. & Hu, C. High temperature enhances lipid accumulation in nitrogen-deprived Scenedesmus obtusus XJ-15. J Appl Phycol 28, 831–837 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0636-z

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