Monster potential meets potential monster: pros and cons of deploying genetically modified microalgae for biofuels production
Monster potential meets potential monster: pros and cons of deploying genetically modified microalgae for biofuels production
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DOI：
10.1098/rsfs.2012.0037
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发表时间：
2013-02-06
期刊：
影响因子：
4.4
通讯作者：
Sui, J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Flynn, K. J.;Mitra, A.;Sui, J.
利用微藻生产生物燃料吸引了很多关注，但仍是一项未经验证的技术。我们探索了通过修改一系列普通微藻的生理特性来提高产量的途径。我们的分析表明，通过对影响生长速度、呼吸作用、光驯化、光合作用效率和氮磷最低细胞配额(N：C和P：C)的因素进行基因改造(GM)，生物燃料的产量可以提高五倍。然而，模拟表明，用于商业部署的理想转基因微藻在逃逸到环境中后，可能成为一种非常有害的藻华物种，随之而来的是对生态系统和生计的风险。在很大程度上，这是因为能够高速率生产碳水化合物和/或脂肪的有机体，为生物燃料生产提供库存代谢物，也将能够获得远不是支持浮游动物生长的最佳食物的化学计量组成。这种成分可能会抑制甚至停止放牧活动，否则就会控制自然界中微藻的生长。因此，我们建议，应在严格的国际监管下考虑微藻的遗传操纵，其固有后果的规模可与地球工程相媲美。
Biofuels production from microalgae attracts much attention but remains an unproven technology. We explore routes to enhance production through modifications to a range of generic microalgal physiological characteristics. Our analysis shows that biofuels production may be enhanced ca fivefold through genetic modification (GM) of factors affecting growth rate, respiration, photoacclimation, photosynthesis efficiency and the minimum cell quotas for nitrogen and phosphorous (N:C and P : C). However, simulations indicate that the ideal GM microalgae for commercial deployment could, on escape to the environment, become a harmful algal bloom species par excellence, with attendant risks to ecosystems and livelihoods. In large measure, this is because an organism able to produce carbohydrate and/or lipid at high rates, providing stock metabolites for biofuels production, will also be able to attain a stoichiometric composition that will be far from optimal as food for the support of zooplankton growth. This composition could suppress or even halt the grazing activity that would otherwise control the microalgal growth in nature. In consequence, we recommend that the genetic manipulation of microalgae, with inherent consequences on a scale comparable to geoengineering, should be considered under strict international regulation.