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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Biotechnology and Bioproducts
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1531239

Phosphomolybdic acid boosts polyunsaturated fatty acid and neutral lipid production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Provisionally accepted
Kuntao Peng Kuntao Peng 1Bing-Hong Xiong Bing-Hong Xiong 2Gao Cheng Gao Cheng 1Yuan-Hong Zhong Yuan-Hong Zhong 1Lin Yu Lin Yu 1*
  • 1 Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Phaeodactylum tricornutum is considered a potential lipid production platform due to its high growth rates and elevated natural neutral lipid and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents. Furthermore, microalgae are emerging as promising sources of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In this study, phosphomolybdic acid (PMo12), as a photocatalyst, can enhance the synthesis of neutral lipids and PUFAs by influencing the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes and photosynthesis in P. tricornutum. We also observed the contents of EPA and PUFA in engineered microalgae nearly doubled compared to the wild type, while neutral lipid content showed a significant increase of 69.7% in engineered microalgae. Notably, the growth rate of engineered microalgae remained comparable to that of the wild type. This work presents an effective approach to enhance the production of microalgal bioproducts, suggesting that photocatalysts such as PMo12 could serve as viable alternatives to genetic engineering technology, facilitating the commercialization of microalgal biodiesel.

    Keywords: Phosphomolybdic acid, Microalgae, Lipid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, EPA, DHA

    Received: 20 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Peng, Xiong, Cheng, Zhong and Yu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lin Yu, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.