Open AccessEnhanced lipid production in Nannochloropsis sp. using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting
Author(s) -
YEN DOAN THITHAI,
OBBARD JEFFREY PHILIP
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
gcb bioenergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.378
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1757-1707
pISSN - 1757-1693
DOI - 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2010.01076.x
Subject(s) - nannochloropsis , food science , cell sorting , flow cytometry , intracellular , biodiesel production , raw material , biomass (ecology) , biodiesel , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , botany , cell , algae , microbiology and biotechnology , agronomy , ecology , catalysis
To advance the utilization of microalgae as a viable feedstock for biodiesel production, the intracellular lipid content of three strains of the marine microalgae Nannochloropsis sp. was enhanced using flow cytometry (FC) coupled with cell sorting. Total lipid content was doubled to 55% (biomass dry weight) in the sorted, daughter cells of Nannochloropsis (strain 47) after consecutive three rounds of cell sorting, and this trait was maintained for approximately 100 subsequent cell generations. In addition, daughter cells had a fatty acid profile similar to that of the parent, wild‐type strain. The study demonstrates that FC coupled with cell sorting is a powerful tool for the enhancement of intracellular lipid content in microalgae exploited for biodiesel feedstock.