TY - JOUR
T1 - Intracellular spectral recompositioning of light enhances algal photosynthetic efficiency
AU - Fu, Weiqi
AU - Chaiboonchoe, Amphun
AU - Khraiwesh, Basel
AU - Sultana, Mehar
AU - Jaiswal, Ashish
AU - Jijakli, Kenan
AU - Nelson, David R.
AU - Al-Hrout, Ala'a
AU - Baig, Badriya
AU - Amin, Amr
AU - Salehi-Ashtiani, Kourosh
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved.
PY - 2017/9
Y1 - 2017/9
N2 - Diatoms, considered as one of the most diverse and largest groups of algae, can provide the means to reach a sustainable production of petrochemical substitutes and bioactive compounds. However, a prerequisite to achieving this goal is to increase the solar-to-biomass conversion efficiency of photosynthesis, which generally remains less than 5% for most photosynthetic organisms. We have developed and implemented a rapid and effective approach, herein referred to as intracellular spectral recompositioning (ISR) of light, which, through absorption of excess blue light and its intracellular emission in the green spectral band, can improve light utilization. We demonstrate that ISR can be used chemogenically, by using lipophilic fluorophores, or biogenically, through the expression of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Engineered P. tricornutum cells expressing eGFP achieved 28% higher efficiency in photosynthesis than the parental strain, along with an increased effective quantum yield and reduced nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) induction levels under high-light conditions. Further, pond simulator experiments demonstrated that eGFP transformants could outperform their wild-type parental strain by 50% in biomass production rate under simulated outdoor sunlight conditions. Transcriptome analysis identified up-regulation of major photosynthesis genes in the engineered strain in comparison with the wild type, along with down-regulation of NPQ genes involved in light stress response. Our findings provide a proof of concept for a strategy of developingmore efficient photosynthetic cell factories to produce algae-based biofuels and bioactive products.
AB - Diatoms, considered as one of the most diverse and largest groups of algae, can provide the means to reach a sustainable production of petrochemical substitutes and bioactive compounds. However, a prerequisite to achieving this goal is to increase the solar-to-biomass conversion efficiency of photosynthesis, which generally remains less than 5% for most photosynthetic organisms. We have developed and implemented a rapid and effective approach, herein referred to as intracellular spectral recompositioning (ISR) of light, which, through absorption of excess blue light and its intracellular emission in the green spectral band, can improve light utilization. We demonstrate that ISR can be used chemogenically, by using lipophilic fluorophores, or biogenically, through the expression of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Engineered P. tricornutum cells expressing eGFP achieved 28% higher efficiency in photosynthesis than the parental strain, along with an increased effective quantum yield and reduced nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) induction levels under high-light conditions. Further, pond simulator experiments demonstrated that eGFP transformants could outperform their wild-type parental strain by 50% in biomass production rate under simulated outdoor sunlight conditions. Transcriptome analysis identified up-regulation of major photosynthesis genes in the engineered strain in comparison with the wild type, along with down-regulation of NPQ genes involved in light stress response. Our findings provide a proof of concept for a strategy of developingmore efficient photosynthetic cell factories to produce algae-based biofuels and bioactive products.
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U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.1603096
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.1603096
M3 - Article
C2 - 28879232
AN - SCOPUS:85041863837
SN - 2375-2548
VL - 3
JO - Science Advances
JF - Science Advances
IS - 9
M1 - e1603096
ER -