Characterization of Chlamydomonas Very High Light-tolerant Mutants for Enhanced Lipid Production

Biodiesel production from microalgae is still not commercially realized due to the high cost of production. High light-tolerance has been suggested as a desirable phenotype for efficient cultivation in large scale production systems under fluctuating outdoor conditions. Nevertheless, it has not been shown if algae with such a phenotype would have better efficiency for lipid production. To determine lipid productivity in high light-tolerant mutants, and to understand the pathways involved in high light-tolerant phenotype, two very high light-tolerant mutants of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - CAL028_01_28 and CAL034_01_48 - were selected from eighteen high light-tolerant mutants from the CAL collection. Under high light intensity conditions, and the presence of reactive oxygen species, which are conditions constantly experienced by algae growing in open-pond environments, these strains exhibited higher photosynthetic efficiency and improved survival. The physiological characterization of these mutants revealed that the detoxification of ROS by carotenoids and antioxidant enzymes is crucial for their growth under high light conditions. Neither mutant was affected in terms of its ability to accumulate lipid under nitrogen-depleted condition. More importantly, lipid productivity under high light conditions increased twofold in these mutants compared to that of the wild-type. Taken together, very high light-tolerant mutants confer a high potential for biofuel production under outdoor conditions, and their improved ability to survive under oxidative stress is an important key for efficient growth under outdoor conditions.