Fatty Acid Content and Profile of the Novel Strain of Coccomyxa elongata (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) Cultivated at Reduced Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentrations

Abstract

A novel freshwater strain of Coccomyxa elongata (MZ–Ch64) was isolated from the Zaporizhia region, Ukraine. The identification was based on the phylogenetic analysis of SSU rDNA gene and ITS1–5.8S rDNA–ITS2 region and predicted secondary structure of the ITS2. Phylogenetic analysis placed this strain in the Coccomyxa group, within the class Trebouxiophyceae. The novel strain MZ–Ch64 formed a strongly supported lineage closest with C. elongata. The MZ–Ch64 strain differed from the morphological description of the species by the size of vegetative cells and absence of small mucilaginous caps at one end of the cell. A number of experiments with different concentrations of phosphate and nitrate were conducted to evaluate changes in the resulting fatty acid profiles and biomass productivity. The fatty acid profile and total fatty acids varied significantly under different nutrient deficiencies. The dominant fatty acid during cultivation on standard BBM medium, as well as in phosphorus‐depleted conditions, was oleic acid (to 48.0%–54.6% of total fatty acids). Absence of nitrogen alone, and absence of both nitrogen and phosphorus, led to an increase of palmitic acid (to 24.7%–25.6%), cis‐7‐hexadecenoic acid (to 14.8%) and α‐linolenic acid (to 9.1%–10.1%) in comparison with the control sample. The greatest variation was found for oleic acid (31.9%–54.6%). Thus, this strain can be considered as a potential producer of oleic acid or cis‐7‐hexadecenoic and α‐linolenic acids for biotechnological applications.

A New Species of Freshwater Algae Nephrochlamys yushanlensis sp. nov. (Selenastraceae, Sphaeropleales) and Its Lipid Accumulation during Nitrogen and Phosphorus Starvation

“…2018, Maltsev et al. 2019b). In N. yushanlensis strain MZ–Ch62, the effect of a decrease in nitrogen concentration contributed to an approximately 1.9‐fold increase of total lipids, from 31.2% to 58.6% of biomass DW.…”

“…2018, Maltsev et al. 2019b). The composition of fatty acids of N. yushanlensis strain MZ–Ch62 includes the largest percent of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and oleic acid as a central component and, as a result, is appropriate for biodiesel production.…”

“…2018), and Coccomyxa elongata (Maltsev et al. 2019b) showed that nutrient concentration in the medium strongly influences biomass accumulation. The dry weights showed decreases of 9.5–27.3% in the nitrogen‐depleted conditions and 19.0–27.1% in the media with −N−P‐depletion compared to the control.…”

Dark Stress to Improve Lipid Quantity and Quality in Acid-Tolerant Microalgae Exposed to Simulated (6% CO2) Flue Gas

“…A possible explanation for the increase in PUFAs in dark-treated cells is that the absence of photosynthesis has been found to correlate with fatty acid composition, in particular a signi cant increase in PUFAs as photosynthesis rates decline [52]. Furthermore, nitrogen depleted environments can increase PUFA content within Coccomyxa microalgae [53]. However, since an increase in PUFAs is not as apparent in the light-treated cells, it can be assumed that the lack of photosynthesis attributed more to the increase in PUFAs than a lack of available nitrogen.…”

Nutritional conditions of the novel freshwater Coccomyxa AP01 for versatile fatty acids composition

“…Recently, several species and strains belonging to the genus Coccomyxa have been intensively studied to identify the nutritional parameters for growth which led to an increase in lipid yields (Guschina et al 2003;Allen et al 2017;Maltsev et al 2019). However, the total fatty acids yield under nutritional stress often implies low biomass yield and significant variations in fatty acids…”