Response of arctic snow and permafrost algae to high light and nitrogen stress by changes in pigment composition and applied aspects for biotechnology

Abstract

Ten algal strains from snow and permafrost substrates were tested for their ability to produce secondary carotenoids and a-tocopherol in response to high light and decreased nitrogen levels. The Culture Collection of Cryophilic Algae at Fraunhofer IBMT in Potsdam served as the bioresource for this study. Eight of the strains belong to the Chlorophyceae and two strains are affiliated to the Trebouxiophyceae. While under low light, all 10 strains produced the normal spectrum of primary pigments known to be present in Chlorophyta, only the eight chlorophyceaen strains were able to synthesize secondary carotenoids under stress conditions, namely canthaxanthin, echinenone and astaxanthin; seven of them were also able to synthesize minor amounts of adonixanthin and an unidentified hydroxyechinenone. The two trebouxiophyceaen species of Raphidonema exhibited an unusually high pool of primary xanthophyll cycle pigments, possibly serving as a buffering reservoir against excessive irradiation. They also proved to be good atocopherol producers, which might also support the deactivation of reactive oxygen species. This study showed that some strains might be interesting novel candidates for biotechnological applications. Cold-adapted, snow and permafrost algae might serve as valuable production strains still exhibiting acceptable growth rates during the cold season in temperate regions.

Temporal changes in snow algal abundance on surface snow in Tohkamachi, Japan

“…For example, the growth rate of isolated Cr. nivalis in culture has been reported to be 0.60 d -1 (Leya et al, 2009 …”

Astaxanthin in microalgae: pathways, functions and biotechnological implications

“…(0.04% astaxanthin by dwt) (Leya et al 2009), Chlamydomonas nivalis (Bidigare et al 1993, Remias et al 2005, Chlorella zofingiensis (0.7% astaxanthin by dwt) (Bar et al 1995, Orosa et al 2000, Chlorococcum sp. (0.7% astaxanthin by dwt) Lee 2000, Ma andChen 2001), Chloromonas nivalis (0.004% astaxanthin by dwt) (Leya et al 2009, Remias et al 2010, Eremosphera viridis (Vechtel et al 1992), Haematococcus pluvialis (4% astaxanthin by dwt) (Droop 1954, Lee andDing 1994), Neochloris wimmeri (1.9% astaxanthin by dwt) (Orosa et al 2000), Protosiphon botryoides (1.4% astaxanthin by dwt) (Orosa et al 2000), Scenedesmus sp. (0.3% astaxanthin by dwt) (Orosa et al 2000, Qin et al 2008, Scotiellopsis oocystiformis (1.1% astaxanthin by dwt) (Orosa et al 2000), and Trachelomonas volvocina (Green 1963).…”

Growth response of Antarctic snow microalgae cultures belonging to the Chlamydomonadaceae family to effects of temperature, irradiance and supporting media

“…Despite their diversity, snow algae share their main property: Their optimum growth temperatures are generally around 0 o C (Teoh et al 2004). To adapt to this harsh environment, they developed a number of adaptive features, which include biosynthesis of pigments (Fong et al 2001), polyols (Arnold et al 2003, Leya et al 2009), sugars (Arnold et al 2003, lipids, and spore formation (Pocock et al 2011, Zang et al 2003. The spores, which withstand subzero temperatures in winter, usually have large amounts of lipid reserves, polyols and sugars (Rezanka et al 2008).…”