Effects of Methanol on Carotenoids as Well as Biomass and Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in Schizochytrium limacinum B4D1

Schizochytrium strains are usually studied as oil-producing strains, but they can also synthesize other secondary metabolites, such as astaxanthin. In this study, methanol was used as an inducer, and we explored its effects on the production of astaxanthin, a highly valuable substance inSchizochytrium . Methanol inducedSchizochytrium to synthesize large amounts of astaxanthin. Transcriptomic analysis was used to investigate the regulation of signaling and metabolic pathways (mainly relative gene expression) inSchizochytrium grown in the presence of various concentrations of methanol. These results contribute to the understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms and may aid in the future optimization ofSchizochytrium for astaxanthin biosynthesis.