Uncovering the biological roles of recently discovered carbohydrate-active enzymes in green microalgae.

微藻已经占领了地球上的每一个栖息地，在为全球海洋生物碳泵提供燃料方面发挥着至关重要的作用。此外，微藻生物技术对发展可持续经济至关重要。藻类产生于一个复杂的进化历史，形成了它们的代谢网络，它们生物学的许多方面仍未得到充分研究。多糖单加氧酶（LPMOs）是一种含铜酶，参与细菌、真菌和昆虫的多糖代谢，最近才在藻类中发现（Sabbadin等）。Nat. Com. 2018)。这些酶在这些生物体中还没有生物学上的作用。在此背景下，目前的项目将研究在莱茵衣藻（Chlamydomonas reinhardtii）中鉴定的三种候选LPMOs的潜在作用，衣藻是一种成熟的遗传和基因组模型，用于研究藻类生物学的不同方面。初步分析表明这三种酶在不同的生物过程中发挥作用，并将使用反向遗传学，细胞生物学，生物化学，分子和计算机方法的组合来测试假设。获得的结果将促进对藻类初级代谢和环境适应等基本过程的理解。这将有助于更好地了解藻类的生态成功，并为其在生物技术中的应用提供支持。

Microalgae have colonized every habitat on Earth, and are paramount in fueling the global ocean biological carbon pump. Moreover, microalgal biotechnology is of prime importance for developing a sustainable economy. Algae result from a complex evolutionary history that shaped their metabolic networks, and many aspects of their biology remain understudied. Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-containing enzymes involved in the metabolism of polysaccharides in bacteria, fungi, and insects, and have only recently been discovered in algae (Sabbadin et al. Nat. Com. 2018). No biological roles have been associated with these enzymes in these organisms yet. In this context, the current project will investigate the potential roles of three candidate LPMOs identified in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a well-established genetic and genomic model to study different aspects of algal biology. Preliminary analysis has suggested roles in different biological processes for these three enzymes, and hypotheses will be tested using a combination of reverse genetics, cell biology, biochemical, molecular, and in silico approaches. Results obtained will advance understanding on fundamental processes such as algal primary metabolism and environmental adaptation. It will help to better understand the ecological success of algae, and provide support for their uses in biotechnological applications.