Macroalgae are a diverse group of organisms. Marine macroalgae, in particular, have numerous medicinal and industrial applications. Molecular studies of macroalgae require suitable concentrations of DNA free of contaminants. At present, numerous protocols exist for DNA extraction from macroalgae. However, they are either time consuming, expensive or work only with few species. The method described in this study is rapid and efficient and applicable to different types of marine macroalgae. This method yields an average of 3.85 µg of DNA per 50 mg of algal tissue, with an average purity of 1.88. The isolated DNA was suitable for PCR amplification of universal plastid region of macroalgae.

Spirulina has emerged as the next-generation dietary supplement owing to its health benefits. Despite the advantages, there have been reports of contamination by cyanotoxins such as microcystins that can adversely affect human health. Hence, there is a need to develop a robust, efficient, and cost-effective method to detect microcystinproducing cyanobacteria in these food supplements. In this study, we have demonstrated a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for identification of microcystincontamination in spirulina dietary supplements. This method involves simultaneous amplification of phycocyanin and microcystin B encoding genes (pcb, mcyB). The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR was assessed, and the limit of detecting mcyB along with pcb was found to be 250 fg/ lL. The presence of microcystin was detected in five out of seven fish food supplements indicating poor culture conditions. Hence, rigorous quality control is required for monitoring the spirulina food supplements.

Abstract-Algal biofuels may be a kind of viable alternative to fossil fuels; however, this technology must overcome a number of hurdles before it can be considered to use in the market and be broadly deployed. One of the major hurdles are the low fuel yields per unit of biomass. In this study, we aim to overcome this challenge by identifying several genes which are responsible for increased lipid production, from numerous sources that can potentially increase the lipid synthesis in the autotrophic alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Using in-silico comparative genomics, we have made a shortlist of a total of 17 genes which, if incorporated into the genome of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and overexpressed, could increase lipid production.