Abstract
Algae are ecologically important organisms and are widely used for basic research, with a focus on for example photosynthesis, evolution, and lipid metabolism. Many biosynthetic pathways of algal lipids have been deciphered using available genomic information. Here we describe methods for lipid analyses from three representative algae, including Archaeplastida, the SAR lineage (Stramenopiles, Alveolata, Rhizaria), and Excavata. Archaeplastida acquired their plastids by primary endosymbiosis, and the others by secondary endosymbiosis with a Rhodophyceae-type plastid in SAR and a Chlorophyceae-type plastid in Excavata (Euglenozoa). Analytical methods for these algae are described for membrane lipids and neutral lipids including triacylglycerol and wax esters.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Li-Beisson Y, Thelen JJ, Fedosejevs E, Harwood JL (2019) The lipid biochemistry of eukaryotic algae. Prog Lipid Res 74:31–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2019.01.003
Harwood JL (2019) Algae: critical sources of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Biomol Ther 9(11):708. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9110708
Sakurai K, Mori N, Sato N (2014) Detection and characterization of phosphatidylcholine in various strains of the genus Chlamydomonas (Volvocales, Chlorophyceae). J Plant Res 127(5):641–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-014-0644-0
Canavate JP, Armada I, Rios JL, Hachero-Cruzado I (2016) Exploring occurrence and molecular diversity of betaine lipids across taxonomy of marine microalgae. Phytochemistry 124:68–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2016.02.007
Kato M, Sakai M, Adachi K, Ikemoto H, Sano H (1996) Distribution of betaine lipids in marine algae. Phytochemistry 42(5):1341–1345. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)00115-X
Riekhof WR, Sears BB, Benning C (2005) Annotation of genes involved in glycerolipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: discovery of the betaine lipid synthase BTA1Cr. Eukaryot Cell 4(2):242–252. https://doi.org/10.1128/EC.4.2.242-252.2005
Hori K, Nobusawa T, Watanabe T, Madoka Y, Suzuki H, Shibata D et al (2016) Tangled evolutionary processes with commonality and diversity in plastidial glycolipid synthesis in photosynthetic organisms. Biochim Biophys Acta 1861(9 Pt B):1294–1308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbalip.2016.04.015
Iwai M, Hori K, Sasaki-Sekimoto Y, Shimojima M, Ohta H (2015) Manipulation of oil synthesis in Nannochloropsis strain NIES-2145 with a phosphorus starvation-inducible promoter from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Front Microbiol 6:912. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00912
Murakami H, Nobusawa T, Hori K, Shimojima M, Ohta H (2018) Betaine lipid is crucial for adapting to low temperature and phosphate deficiency in Nannochloropsis. Plant Physiol 177(1):181–193. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.17.01573
Shibata S, Arimura SI, Ishikawa T, Awai K (2018) Alterations of membrane lipid content correlated with chloroplast and mitochondria development in Euglena gracilis. Front Plant Sci 9:370. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00370
Kondo S, Hori K, Sasaki-Sekimoto Y, Kobayashi A, Kato T, Yuno-Ohta N et al (2016) Primitive extracellular lipid components on the surface of the charophytic alga Klebsormidium flaccidum and their possible biosynthetic pathways as deduced from the genome sequence. Front Plant Sci 7:952. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00952
Nishiyama T, Hiwatashi Y, Sakakibara I, Kato M, Hasebe M (2000) Tagged mutagenesis and gene-trap in the moss, Physcomitrella patens by shuttle mutagenesis. DNA Res 7(1):9–17. https://doi.org/10.1093/dnares/7.1.9
Ichimura T (1971) Sexual cell division and conjugation-papilla formation in sexual reproduction of Closterium strigosum. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo
Kilian O, Benemann CS, Niyogi KK, Vick B (2011) High-efficiency homologous recombination in the oil-producing alga Nannochloropsis sp. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108(52):21265–21269. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1105861108
Cramer M, Myers J (1952) Growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Euglena gracilis. Arch Mikrobiol 17(1):384–402. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00410835
Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by a grant from JSPS KAKENHI (#JP18H03941) and the program of Open Innovation Platform with Enterprise, Research Institute and Academia (OPERA) of the Japan Science and Technology Agency.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Iwai, M., Shibata, S., Ohta, H., Awai, K. (2021). Methods of Lipid Analyses for Microalgae: Charophytes, Eustigmatophytes, and Euglenophytes. In: Bartels, D., Dörmann, P. (eds) Plant Lipids. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2295. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1362-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1362-7_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1361-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1362-7
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols