Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp.
<i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp., a heterotrophic microorganism, has received increasing attention for its high production of polyunsaturated fatty acids and has been widely applied in various industries. This study intended to optimize the carotenoid synthesis pathway in <i>Aurantiochy...
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2025-04-01
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| Series: | Marine Drugs |
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| author | Yaping Shao Zhengquan Gao Fengjie Sun Yulin Cui Xinyu Zou Jinju Ma Qiaolei Wang Hao Zhang Yuyong Wu Chunxiao Meng |
| author_facet | Yaping Shao Zhengquan Gao Fengjie Sun Yulin Cui Xinyu Zou Jinju Ma Qiaolei Wang Hao Zhang Yuyong Wu Chunxiao Meng |
| author_sort | Yaping Shao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp., a heterotrophic microorganism, has received increasing attention for its high production of polyunsaturated fatty acids and has been widely applied in various industries. This study intended to optimize the carotenoid synthesis pathway in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. by metabolic engineering to increase the carotenoid content. Multi-sourced key enzyme genes involved in lipid synthesis (<i>LPAAT</i> and <i>DGAT</i>) and astaxanthin synthesis (<i>crtZ</i> and <i>crtW</i>) were selected to construct single-gene expression vectors and transformed into <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. The results showed that the overexpression of LPAAT of <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. caused an increase of 39.3% in astaxanthin, 424.7% in β-carotene, 901.8% in canthaxanthin, and 575.9% in lutein, as well as a down-regulation of 15.3% in the fatty acid content. Transcriptomics analysis revealed enhanced expression of genes involved in purine and amino acid metabolism in the transformed strains, and the down-regulation of the citric acid cycle led to an increase in the source of acetyl coenzyme A for the production of fatty acids. This study provides strong experimental evidence to support the application of increasing carotenoid levels in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-50c8e1c8ea5e4c2f8d4900236f510c88 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1660-3397 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Marine Drugs |
| spelling | doaj-art-50c8e1c8ea5e4c2f8d4900236f510c882025-08-20T03:13:55ZengMDPI AGMarine Drugs1660-33972025-04-0123416410.3390/md23040164Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp.Yaping Shao0Zhengquan Gao1Fengjie Sun2Yulin Cui3Xinyu Zou4Jinju Ma5Qiaolei Wang6Hao Zhang7Yuyong Wu8Chunxiao Meng9School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaDepartment of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USASchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China<i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp., a heterotrophic microorganism, has received increasing attention for its high production of polyunsaturated fatty acids and has been widely applied in various industries. This study intended to optimize the carotenoid synthesis pathway in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. by metabolic engineering to increase the carotenoid content. Multi-sourced key enzyme genes involved in lipid synthesis (<i>LPAAT</i> and <i>DGAT</i>) and astaxanthin synthesis (<i>crtZ</i> and <i>crtW</i>) were selected to construct single-gene expression vectors and transformed into <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. The results showed that the overexpression of LPAAT of <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. caused an increase of 39.3% in astaxanthin, 424.7% in β-carotene, 901.8% in canthaxanthin, and 575.9% in lutein, as well as a down-regulation of 15.3% in the fatty acid content. Transcriptomics analysis revealed enhanced expression of genes involved in purine and amino acid metabolism in the transformed strains, and the down-regulation of the citric acid cycle led to an increase in the source of acetyl coenzyme A for the production of fatty acids. This study provides strong experimental evidence to support the application of increasing carotenoid levels in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/4/164astaxanthin<i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp.heterologous expressiontranscriptomeastaxanthin estercarotenoid synthesis |
| spellingShingle | Yaping Shao Zhengquan Gao Fengjie Sun Yulin Cui Xinyu Zou Jinju Ma Qiaolei Wang Hao Zhang Yuyong Wu Chunxiao Meng Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. Marine Drugs astaxanthin <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. heterologous expression transcriptome astaxanthin ester carotenoid synthesis |
| title | Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. |
| title_full | Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. |
| title_short | Effect of Heterologous Expression of Key Enzymes Involved in Astaxanthin and Lipid Synthesis on Lipid and Carotenoid Production in <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. |
| title_sort | effect of heterologous expression of key enzymes involved in astaxanthin and lipid synthesis on lipid and carotenoid production in i aurantiochytrium i sp |
| topic | astaxanthin <i>Aurantiochytrium</i> sp. heterologous expression transcriptome astaxanthin ester carotenoid synthesis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/4/164 |
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