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Molecular Genetics of Lipid Metabolism in the Model Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

  • Chapter
Lipids in Photosynthesis

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 30))

Summary

Research focusing on microalgae is currently experiencing a renaissance due to the potential of microalgae for providing biofuels without competing with food crops. Despite this potential, our knowledge of neutral and membrane lipid metabolism in microalgae is very limited, and opportunities to explore lipid metabolism in microalgae and contrast it to plant lipid metabolism abound. The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is currently the best genetic and genomic model for microalgal lipid research. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge of lipid metabolism in this alga. Chlamydomonas lipid metabolism differs in some aspects from that of seed plants. For example, Chlamydomonas lacks phosphatidylcholine and has in its place the betaine lipid diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine. This has important implications for lipid trafficking and lipid modification. These distinct aspects of algal lipid metabolism combined with the lower number of genes involved in lipid metabolism in Chlamydomonas provide several opportunities for basic research aimed at a more in-depth understanding of lipid metabolism in eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms in general.

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Abbreviations

ACP:

Acyl carrier protein

CDP-DAG:

CDP-diacylglycerol

DAG:

Diacylglycerol

DGTS:

Dia-cylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine

DGDG:

Digalac-tosyl -diacyl-gly cerol

ER:

Endoplasmic reticulum

FAS:

Fatty acid synthase

MGDG:

Monogalactosyldiacylg-lycerol

PA:

Phosphatidic acid

PC:

Phosphatidylcholine

PE:

Phosphatidylethanolamine

PG:

Phosphatidylglycerol

PI:

Phosphatidylinositol

PS:

Phosphatidylserine

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

RNAi:

RNA interference

SQDG:

Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol

TAG:

Triacylglycerol.

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Acknowledgments

Work on lipid biosynthesis in plants and algae in the Benning lab is currently supported, in part, by grants from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the US National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, BASF-Plant Sciences, the MSU Center of Excellence for the Structural Biology Membrane Proteins, and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Energy-Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Eric R. Moellering

  2. Cell and Developmental Biology Program and Department of Energy-Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Rachel Miller

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Christoph Benning

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  1. Eric R. Moellering
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Correspondence to Christoph Benning .

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  1. Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Science, University of Tokyo, Japan

    Hajime Wada

  2. National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan

    Norio Murata

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Moellering, E.R., Miller, R., Benning, C. (2009). Molecular Genetics of Lipid Metabolism in the Model Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . In: Wada, H., Murata, N. (eds) Lipids in Photosynthesis. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 30. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2863-1_7

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