Diatoms have important ecological roles and are natural sources of bioactive compounds. Nitzschia laevis is a member of marine diatoms that accumulates high-value products including fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In this study, physiological data showed that comparing to autotrophic growth, mixotrophic cultivation with glucose supplementation led to a decrease of chlorophyll and fucoxanthin content in N. laevis, and an increase of biomass density and EPA yield. To further examine the metabolic barriers for fucoxanthin and EPA biosynthesis, comparative transcriptomic and metabolome analyses were conducted, with a focus on the genes related to carotenoids biosynthesis and fatty acid metabolism. The results indicated that phytoene desaturase (PDS) and zeta-carotene isomerase (ZISO) could be the rate-limiting enzymes in carotenoid biosynthesis. The transcription regulation of 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) and elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein (EVOVL) are important contributors associated with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) accumulation. Furthermore, we also investigated the glucose-associated regulatory genes using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and identified potential hub genes linked with cell cycle, carbohydrate metabolism, purine biosynthesis, and lipid metabolism. This study offers a high-quality transcriptome resource for N. laevis and provides a molecular framework for further metabolic engineering studies on fucoxanthin and EPA production.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.