UNS: Understanding the Prokaryotic Pathways for Triacylglycerol Synthesis and Turnover in the Plastid of Microalgae and Implications for Biofuels

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PI Name: Yantao LiProposal Number: 1511939Microalgae are single-celled photosynthetic organisms that grow on atmospheric carbon dioxide, sunlight, and dissolved mineral nutrients. Under the proper conditions, microalgae also produce fatty acids stored as lipids, which can be readily converted to biofuel such as biodiesel. The proposed research seeks to improve biomass and lipid production from microalgae by understanding how lipids are made and stored in algal cells, using the tools of genetic engineering to manipulate and study of their lipid metabolic pathways. Outcomes from the research have the potential to suggest new engineering strategies to boost productivity and facilitate the development of sustainable processes for the production of biofuels from microalgae. Subject matter built around algal biofuel topics will be designed to promote K-12, undergraduate and graduate education through workshop and internship programs at the University System of Maryland.The overall goal of this proposed research is to advance fundamental understanding of prokaryotic pathways associated with triacylglycerol synthesis and turnover in single-celled microalgae using the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism. The eukaryotic pathways of triacylglycerol synthesis and turnover in the cytosol of microalgae, which produces eukaryotic glycerolipids with C18 at sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone, are well studied. However, the prokaryotic pathways in the plastid, which produce prokaryotic glycerolipids with C16 at sn-2 position, are still poorly defined. The knowledge gained by understanding the prokaryotic pathways could potentially enable development of new engineering strategies to simultaneously increase algal biomass and lipid production through metabolic engineering of these prokaryotic pathways. This will be achieved through proteomic and functional analyses of lipid bodies and plastids of Chlamydomonas to identify novel genes involved in prokaryotic triacylglycerol synthesis and turnover. These genes will be engineered to generate strains with improved biomass and lipid yield. This project will involve under-represented minority K-12, undergraduate and graduate students, who will be provided with the opportunities to gain knowledge about algal biofuel research and obtain hands on experiences through workshop and internship programs at the University System of Maryland.