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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Physiology and Metabolism
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1470054

Green microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis conserves substrate uptake pattern but changes their metabolic uses across trophic transition Authors

Provisionally accepted
Yuntao Hu Yuntao Hu 1Nakian Kim Nakian Kim 2,3Melissa S. Roth Melissa S. Roth 3Katherine Louie Katherine Louie 2,4Suzanne M. Kosina Suzanne M. Kosina 2Shivani Upadhyaya Shivani Upadhyaya 3Tim L. Jeffers Tim L. Jeffers 3Jacob S. Jordan Jacob S. Jordan 2Benjamin P. Bowen Benjamin P. Bowen 2,4Krishna K. Niyogi Krishna K. Niyogi 3,5,6Trent R. Northen Trent R. Northen 2,4*
  • 1 PrognomiQ Inc, San Mateo, California, United States
  • 2 Division of Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Berkeley Lab (DOE), Berkeley, United States
  • 3 Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States
  • 4 Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley Lab (DOE), Berkeley, California, United States
  • 5 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States
  • 6 Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Berkeley Lab (DOE), Berkeley, California, United States

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

    The terrestrial green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis is an emerging model species with potential applications including production of triacylglycerol or astaxanthin. How C. zofingiensis interacts with the diverse substrates during trophic transitions are unknown. To characterize its substrate utilization and secretion dynamics, we cultivated the alga in a soil-based defined medium in transition between conditions with and without glucose supplementation. Then, we examined its exometabolite and endometabolite profiles. This analysis revealed that regardless of trophic modes, C. zofingiensis preferentially uptakes exogenous lysine, arginine, and purines, while secreting orotic acid. Here, we obtained metabolomic evidences that C. zofingiensis may use arginine for putrescine synthesis when in transition to heterotrophy, and for the TCA cycle during transition to photoautotrophy. We also report that glucose and fructose most effectively inhibited photosynthesis among thirteen different sugars. The utilized or secreted metabolites identified in this study provide important information to improve C. zofingiensis cultivation, and to expand its potential industrial and pharmaceutical applications.

    Keywords: Microalgae, Chromochloris zofingiensis, Arginine, purine, Metabolomics, Orotic Acid

    Received: 24 Jul 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hu, Kim, Roth, Louie, Kosina, Upadhyaya, Jeffers, Jordan, Bowen, Niyogi and Northen. 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: Trent R. Northen, Division of Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Berkeley Lab (DOE), Berkeley, United States

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